William Garlant
by jtles4
Summary: William Garlant was born into a noble and Pureblooded wizarding family. With that comes expectations, especially when he is to start at Hogwarts in the same year as the famous Harry Potter. Starts off on Hogwarts Express - jumps to year 4. A bit more teenage-y than books, before maturing.
1. Chapter 1 - The Express

**A.N.: This is the story of William August Garlant. It's a retelling of the Harry Potter story, but with an added character who befriends the trio (and others) from year one. The story is told from his perspective.  
The fic opens with two short (and quickly submitted) chapters from year one, just to get an idea of where and how William is introduced to Harry and the others - and also to discover a bit of background on our new character. Mostly though, William will be explored when the story ****takes place, which will start to happen in year 4 and begins from chapter 3. The period in between the time skip will be somewhat seen via flashbacks (and Pensieves) and references, but for the most part we can assume the major plot points of the books have during that time unfolded pretty much the same as in the books with just the added factor of another character into what used to be the trio. **

**I'll also preface by saying my favorite character is a tossup between Ginny and Hermione, my favorite ship is H/Hr, my favorite teacher is Lupin, and my House is Gryffindor (duh). I love Ron, though I also love making him suffer a bit, mostly because he hurts my favorite characters so much. But it'll all come good. **

**Everything, except William August Garlant, belongs to JKR.**

* * *

"Hi!"

"Oh - hi," answered the red haired boy, startling around as William greeted him. He had a dark blotch on his nose, covering some of a freckled canvas on which two blue and at the moment quite surprised eyes met William's hazel-green ones.

"Trouble finding a compartment?"

"Yeah," he said, casting sideways glances as if one would suddenly appear out of thin air. "I'm Ronald, er - Ron Weasley," the boy finally said, holding out a hand.

"William Garlant," the slightly shorter boy returned, shaking his new friends hand.

"Garlant? I know your family! You're the ones who -"

"Stand by You-Know-Who? Yeah, that's us lot. Got a problem with that?" said William, not breaking his gaze with the Weasley boy. Ron's eyes widened at the apparent careless admittance of guilt from the young boy in front of him, before he managed to collect himself with a slight cough.

"Sorry, I know… er - I'm… don't support You-Know -"

"Relax, Weasley. I'm messing with you," William smiled. Ron copied his smile and did seem to relax a bit, before nodding them both on in search of an empty compartment. Some were filled with older kids loudly catching up after a long summer break. Others were silent with shy first years stiffly trying to acquaint themselves with new people and circumstances. A couple of compartments had what William was assuming to be teachers, who were busy chatting about the new term and a certain "Potter".

A girl with bushy hair and an awkward, scared looking boy walked past them, quickly asking about some toad the boy had lost. Two red-headed twins greeted them and introduced themselves as Fred and George Weasley, while swearing they had no relation to William's new friend Ron. A very red-faced Ron swore after them as they ran away, causing some giggling heads to pop out of a couple compartments. More and more students walked along the train and in between the rooms as it sped through the countryside, trading chocolate cards, gossiping, or showing off new learnt spells. A stern looking Ravenclaw Prefect had to drag two fourth years into a teacher's compartment after they had managed to vanish said Prefect's hair. All the action and fun brought an unprecedented joy into William, which Ron seemed to pick up on as his mood also greatly picked up before they finally found a compartment with one boy sitting alone. It was Ron who knocked on the door before popping his head in.

"Is it okay if we sit here? Everywhere else is full," he pleaded. The jet-black haired boy had round glasses that looked to have been broken many times over, covering a pair of emerald green eyes. He bore a kind of distant look on his face before gladly beckoning the two of them to enter. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley," he shook the boy's hand.

"William Garlant," and the small boy took his hand as well, smiling at the both of them as they sat down.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter." Ron's eyes went even wider this time, his jaw dropping as he mouthed "Harry Potter" back at the boy. So this was the Harry Potter. He was small - very small, even for an eleven year old, and quite skinny. It was hard imagining this boy had defeated the greatest dark wizard of all time, yet beneath a wild mess of hair on his forehead, a thin lightning shaped scar was clearly visible, proof of their deadly encounter all those years ago.

"So… it's - it's true? You have the… the scar, and everything?" Ron said, still shocked that the famous Boy-Who-Lived sat in front of him. The boy, to his credit, simply smiled and withdrew his hair so that they could have a clearer look. He didn't do it proudly, as if showcasing a great trophy - rather, he did it gladly, as if happy he had someone who was curious about him. "Wicked," said Ron, and Harry's face shone with happiness again.

"Is this your first year, Harry?" asked William, though knowing the answer. It was too intriguing not to get the famous boy to talk about himself.

"Yes, how about you?" he said simply. Not one to talk much about himself, it seemed. Strange. William's older brother Edward had often spoken about the boy, and had been absolutely adamant that he would have grown up to be quite full of himself - "Dumbledore's favourite new pet", he had predicted, stating that he was sure both the Ministry and the Hogwarts Headmaster would try to use him as a puppet in their constant tug of war.

"First year. I'm absolutely buzzing, to be honest. Can't wait to be sorted. Have any idea where you'll go, then?"

"I'm bound for Gryffindor, I think," said Ron, though with some doubt creeping into his voice. "My whole family's been there for generations. I reckon they'd be decent with Hufflepuff. They'd take Ravenclaw as well, though if I become a Slytherin you'll find me on the train back tomorrow, I'll tell you." Ron continued, though casting a worried look towards William, remembering his family history. "Sorry, Will, I didn't mean -"

"No offence taken, Ron," William smiled and laughed at the nervous boy. "I'm fairly sure I'd join you on that train if that was the case. I'll be Gryffindor or a Claw for sure. My aunt said so, and she's always right about the sortings. Don't tell my mother or brother, though, they'd kill me if they knew. How about you?" he nodded towards Harry, who had been looking at them almost confused up until that point.

"Er - I don't… really know. I only found out about the houses the other day… I grew up with muggles." he looked almost ashamed to admit it. It was a shock, even for Ron, William saw. The Boy-Who-Lived, raised as a muggle?

"That's… it's nothing to be embarrassed about, Harry. There are plenty of muggleborn in Hogwarts every year, many of them most likely won't even know what houses there are before they're sorted!"

"Really?" Harry looked up at William with a hopeful look, but it was Ron who opened his mouth to answer after seemingly shaking away his stunned look at the news that Harry Potter had been raised by muggles.

"Y-yeah! There's really nothing bad about it. Some people think so, but they're idiots!" he cast another half-apologetic half-frightened look at William, who only chuckled at his clumsiness, which seemed to give him confidence to continue. "My father works in the Ministry with muggle stuff, he'd love to talk to you about all the weird things your lot do, I'm sure!" Harry laughed at that, shaking his head slightly at the ginger boy.

They chatted for some time about muggles, Ron's many family members, whatever Ron had heard about Hogwarts with the occasional correction from William, and sometimes even touched upon some things personal to Harry. The boys became quite comfortable with each other's presence, to the point of sharing some fears they had about their upcoming time at the school. Harry had admitted to being afraid he'd be left behind due to him being raised by muggles, before William and Ron assured him he'd probably be one of the best students due to his fabled legendary powers. Harry seemed unsure, but brightened remarkably when the boys promised they'd help him with homework if he'd ever needed it, even managing to get the same promise from him. It did not take them too long to move on to what William had hoped they wouldn't talk too much about. As Harry had started to open up more, he braved to ask William about his family and where he came from, given that Ron had already told them all about himself. Not wanting Harry to shun him due to his family's, mainly his father's, allegiance during the last Wizarding War, he was trying to be careful in answering. Thankfully, Ron seemed eager to help, perhaps due to the many times he had put his foot in his mouth.

"William's family are the Garlants! They're quite famous, actually. Not as famous as the Potters, mind you, but they've been known longer I reckon. My dad once said your granddad was the greatest wizard he ever met, besides Dumbledore of course." William was happy Ron had answered. It was also true that William's grandfather, who was also named William, had been a powerful wizard. No one had known how he had died. When William asked his mother about it, she struck him on the cheek before banishing the question from their house. Edward had been equally silent, though he once let slip that grandad William was intimately connected to the Dark Lord. Other times, William had overheard some Garlant relatives discussing his grandfather, relaying gossip regarding his mysterious death. What William knew for sure was that his grandfather had began teaching him when he was young, and he had some memories of him reading to William, and caring for him those many nights his mother and older brother were away. When William was eight, his grandfather died. There was no funeral, no vigil, nothing. All he had left of his grandfather was his personal library, which he had been in the process of combing through when one night, his mother caught him in the act and punished him severely for doing so. Afterwards, he always felt a sharp pain in his cheeks whenever he neared the books.

"Wow," said Harry, taking William back to the Hogwarts Express. They sat in silence for a while, before Harry added "who exactly is Dumbledore?", which made the three of them laugh heartily.

Before long, a small witch knocked on the door asking if they wanted to buy anything from the trolley. Harry bought a little of everything, gladly sharing it all with his new friends. Again, the Boy-Who-Lived had surprised William. Edward would say Harry had been bragging with his handful of galleons, but William knew all Harry wanted to do was to share what he had. He appreciated the gesture, though did not eat to much of it, flinching as he was remembering how his mother often screamed at him when she caught him eating snacks and candy at home. William thought Harry noticed, but was being too polite and kind to ask such a personal question so fast into their friendship. Perhaps Harry knew what he was feeling at that moment? Perhaps those muggles didn't treat him as kindly as Edward thought Harry would have been treated? He was wearing rather dreadful clothes - they didn't fit him at all, and looked as if they'd been shoddily repaired many times over, before being given up on. William's thoughts were interrupted by another knock on their door, as the familiar girl with the bushy brown hair entered into the frame.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a toad? Neville's toad is missing, and - oh, are you doing magic? Go on, let's see it then," she said, with a bossy sort of voice, to Ron. He had been talking to Harry about a spell one of his older brothers had taught him that was supposed to turn his pet rat yellow. William had been absentmindedly listening while contemplating the enigma that was Harry Potter. Ron looked somewhat nervous as he cleared his throat, and waved his wand above the elderly rat sat on his lap.

"Sunshine daisies, butter mellow… turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" he commanded. Nothing happened. Harry and William smiled a bit, not wanting to laugh at their new mate for his failed piece of magic.

"Is that a real spell? It's not very good then, is it?" said the bossy girl as she took a step into the boys' compartment. "I've tried a couple of spells and so far every one has worked. For example," she sat down and turned to Harry, drew her wand and tapped the boy's broken glasses. "Oculus Reparo," the glasses instantly cracked into place perfectly. Harry's mouth opened, and he took off his glasses to inspect them.

"Whoa," he said. "Thanks."

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said, sticking out her hand. Harry was still too busy being in awe of the girl's magic to respond. William took her hand instead. He was impressed by the girl, but it wasn't the first time he had seen magic up close, and as such was understandably a bit less surprised than the Boy-Who-Lived.

"I'm William Garlant. This is Harry Potter, and this," he nodded towards Ron, "is Ronald Weasley." Ron sloppily shook her hand, and Harry followed suit after he had collected himself, placing the round glasses back on his nose.

"Pleasure," Hermione said, still with her bossy attitude. "Sorry, the Harry Potter?" Harry nodded shyly. "I've read all about you, of course!" she blurted out. Harry blushed somewhat, while Ron and William chuckled. "And Garlant! Your family is famous for - OUCH, Ronald!" William silently thanked Ron for kicking her before she continued. Hermione's anger seemed to ebb away as comprehension dawned on her face while her gaze darted between Harry and William. "Oh, sorry… Anyway, I should be going. Neville's still looking for his toad. I think we're almost there, by they way. You might think about changing to your robes." With that, she walked out, leaving the three boys to change in anticipation of their arrival.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Sorting

**A.N.: I tried drawing how I imagine William to look (imgurcom/****o9Vmzbg- add a period between imgur and com****), and I'll try do draw some more characters/events as I go along. Fair warning, I can't draw for shit. If there's a better way of showing my drawings, feel free to tell me.**

* * *

The end of the journey went by much the same as the rest - the boys talking and laughing while preparing for their first day of their magical education. Being introduced to the giant of a man called Hagrid, who Harry apparently knew, was a highlight for William, before the real showstopper that was the boat ride began. Seeing the legendary castle while slowly traversing the moonlit Black Lake was truly a magical moment in every sense of the word. Ron and Harry shared his excitement as the three of them stared in silent awe around them as they approached and entered Hogwarts. After walking into the Entrance Hall, as Hogwarts: A History had named the room, and hearing the drone of hundreds of voices from the doorway to the right, they were led into a small, empty chamber off the hall by a stern and smart looking lady introduced as "Deputy Headmistress and Professor Minerva McGonagall". The group of first years all fell into nervous silence when left alone. McGonagall had explained the sorting, the four Houses, and told them to wait until called into the Great Hall, before Neville's toad had made a long awaited appearance (the boy called Neville caught the toad before withdrawing, red-faced and embarrassed). William found himself standing next to Hermione Granger, who was blabbering on about excerpts from Hogwarts: A History to a thoroughly uninterested-looking boy. Ron and Harry were still staring around in awe, while most of the rest of the group had slowly began chatting among themselves.

"… and the hourglasses across the hall are for keeping the four Houses' score - though the book never mentions how they do that…" she said.

"They're enchanted to take orders from the teachers. And Prefects, I think. You get points for doing well in classes, and lose them for breaking school rules," William added. Hermione looked at him surprised, though if it was because someone was actually listening to her or if it was because someone knew something she did not, William couldn't tell.

"Oh! Where did you read that, then? It's not in Hogwarts -" she began, speaking very fast indeed.

"My brother went to Hogwarts. He graduated two years ago, but he told me loads of stuff. He said Slytherin's won the House Cup for almost a decade now, and expects me to make it an even ten years." Hermione gazed at him intently, almost as if she wished to take notes of everything he knew about Hogwarts that wasn't in any books. William was glad to indulge her, while the other boy had happily turned towards other first years. "For example, if one answers a teacher's question correctly, you get five or ten points, while coming late to class costs your House about the same."

"Oh I hope I'm never late to classes then, I'd hate for my House to lose because of me. Do you know anything about the teachers here? McGonagall said she's head of House Gryffindor, she seems quite intelligent if you ask me, I'd love to have her as head of my House."

"McGonagall's fair I've heard. There's also a Professor Snape, the Potions teacher. He's head of Slytherin. My brother Edward says he's the best teacher, but my brother has terrible taste in people, so I wouldn't trust in his opinion," William said, though Hermione scrunched up her face as if not willing to accept that a teacher could have any faults.

"And…" she cast a quick look towards Harry before continuing. "Do you want to be in Slytherin? I've read about your family, and about Salazar Slytherin, of course. I don't think they'd accept me, seeing as I'm a…" but what she was, William never heard. Some blond boy with a pointed face had approached Harry and Ron surrounded by two big cronies, and was currently giving them a hard time by the looks of it. William walked straight towards them.

"… soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there," finished the boy, who had been talking with a slow, bored voice, while looking disdainfully at Ron. He held out his hand to Harry, who looked straight at the boy for a few seconds, while the rest of the first years stared at them, suspended by the great tension. Would Harry take his hand?

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he finally answered, breaking the group's tension and turning back towards Ron, William, and Hermione, who William found standing beside them.

"Who was that?" asked Hermione.

"Draco Malfoy," answered Ron. "Little Slytherin git. No offence, Garlant,"

"None taken, Weasley," he smiled back at his red headed friend. It wasn't hard to understand what the conversation had been about now. The Malfoys and Garlants were natural allies, as both were properly entrenched in the "Old ways", as Edward called it. Come to think of it, it wasn't all that unlikely that William had met Draco once or twice during one of his family's excruciatingly dull dinners. William did for the most part everything to avoid the people his family usually socialised with, including running or hiding away during gatherings. He clapped Harry on the back, adding a quick "Well said", as Harry smiled at him.

Suddenly, the doors to their small room creaked open, once again causing silence to wash over the nervous first years. McGonagall was back to lead them into the Great Hall, where the whole school was staring at them with curious eyes, sniggering at their anxious faces, waving and greeting family and friends, or patiently waiting for the Sorting to start. McGonagall produced a parchment from thin air, while placing the Sorting Hat onto a stool in front of the teacher's table. Before she began reading, the Sorting Hat cleared its throat (as if it had one, thought William), causing all of the first years to jump a little. It began humming slightly and then, with a clear voice, sang:

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

Applause and cheers filled the Great Hall, only dying down as the Deputy Headmistress now cleared her throat.

"Abbott, Hannah!" she called, and a blond girl took hesitant steps towards the stool before having the hat placed upon her head. After a few seconds in almost complete silence, the hat proclaimed "Hufflepuff!", prompting tumultuous cheers from the Hufflepuff table where she ran to find seats. After a few more Hufflepuffs, three Ravenclaws, one Gryffindor, and a couple of Slytherins, Professor McGonagall called out William's name. Harry smiled at him, while Ron looked nervous, most likely fearing one of his new friends would enter Slytherin. Hermione had a blank look on her face, before nodding frantically as William stepped forward. He might have imagined it, but for a second it looked as if the Headmaster, adorned with a great long silver beard and moon-shaped glasses, sat up a little straighter, as if extra curious where he would be sorted. Silence filled the Hall as the Hat was placed on him.

"Another Garlant, eh?" the Hat spoke to him in his mind. Edward had assured him their conversation would only be heard by them.

"Yes," he answered.

"Ah… I see you want to forge your own path… Indeed, indeed. Though I see no reason for your distaste of Slytherin, not at all. Slytherin has proved its worth many times over for your family."

"I don't want to be like my family!"

"Of course, of course. Though your cunning is excellent, most excellent in fact, I also see a great deal of bravery, and wisdom. Loyalty towards those who care for you in abundance, that is clear as well… My, you are a versatile one, aren't you?" William did not know what to respond to that. He had long wondered where he would be put if not in Slytherin, not really being able to match any of his traits into any one house. Not that he saw himself as mightily brave or exceedingly clever - on the contrary, William often thought himself not enough for those Houses. "I can see your struggle, boy. Ravenclaw might serve you well, though it would most certainly damper other qualities you have, I fear. Hufflepuff would grant you a loving and caring environment, one your heart has long yearned for, though could she grant you your ambitions? I wonder… Gryffindor would open doors you have not thought would open for you, a Garlant… Though it would certainly likewise close doors, as you well know. Your family would not approve, not at all…"

"I don't care if they approve," William countered. "I don't care if they shut me out."

"But you do care. Despite not knowing it, you care. Oh, I see your heart, boy, I do. You ache for approval, for acceptance, even from those who you dislike and despise! You hunger to demonstrate your value, your worth!" Again, William found himself speechless, as the Hat hummed in his head. Thoughts of his family flew around - he wanted to deny it, but he knew he couldn't. Edward was not a nice person, yet William still wanted his older brother to like him. He still wanted his mother to hug him. He wanted his grandfather back. "Oho," the Hat said. "I think I have decided. Yes, yes I have… Your grandfather would be very proud indeed… GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat yelled out loud as cheers erupted once more from the Gryffindor table. William sat stunned as the Hat was removed from his head. He did not know how long he had been sitting there, but it felt like an eternity. McGonagall prodded him to move to his new House table, which he gladly did, catching a relieved Ron, a cheering Harry, and a smiling Hermione on the way. After the hat sorted one "Greengrass, Daphne" following William, it did not take long for the three of them to join him by his side at the table - Ron and Harry sat across, and Hermione next to him. Harry had gotten a particularly loud cheer from their new House when he was sorted, with an added "We've got Potter!" chant, which served only to make the boy a bit red faced as he hurried to their table.

When all the students had been sorted, the Headmaster rose from his chair, spreading silence around the Hall. His glittering eyes watched over them all, and he smiled as he began his speech.

"Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you," he finished. Some students, especially first years (William included), looked as if they didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he - a bit mad?" asked Harry.

"Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?" answered another red-haired and freckled boy wearing a Prefect badge.

"Did you know the ceiling is enchanted?" Hermione asked as they began eating.

"Yes, Hermione. I've read the book too, you know."


	3. Chapter 3 - The Closet

**A.N.: I promised myself I'd keep the author's notes to a minimum . but I have to clear some stuff up before continuing. Some _minor _details have changed from the books. For example, the press going after Harry during the Triwizard debacle has been escalated a bit, though they don't reach OoTP-levels. **

* * *

It had been a long term so far, though barely two months had passed since school start. Harry Potter's name had flown out of the Goblet of Fire, causing an avalanche of hate towards him from within the student body, not to mention the absolute rubbish being written in the Prophet and other papers regarding Harry's character. Ron had turned on him, refusing to believe that Harry had not put his own name into the Goblet. Hermione and William believed him in an instant, of course, accepting his claim at face value. Harry was not one to seek out glory or fame - on the contrary in fact, he wanted a quiet school year, and for once had a feeling he might actually have it. But, Harry Potter was not destined to have quiet school years, it seemed. As the first task was nearing, Harry became more and more secluded, refusing to speak with most anyone, often not even exiting the dorm. William had not spoken to Ron since he had spoken ill about Harry, though Hermione, who had missed his constant slandering comments, had mostly avoided Ron through osmosis rather than by choice. As such, they found themselves alone in the Common Room one night, waiting for Harry to descend for dinner while getting some homework done early. They had both been practising Charms and Transfiguration in the Room of Requirement for hours already, and were exhausted by the practical learning to the degree that they were barely reading as they flipped the pages of their books. Mostly, they sat in silence in front of the hearth, quite close to one another on the couch, Hermione's legs over William's.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She looked up, as if being brought back from some reverie by the mention of her name.

"Do you think - should we try to do something?" Hermione looked up at him with expectant eyes, apparently not sure what he was getting at. "About Harry, I mean."

"Oh… Well, we've already tried, Will… He's refused our help so many times! That boy can be so damn stubborn."

"I know, but… what if we don't tell him we're helping him?"

"And how would we do that?" She looked at William inquisitively, brows raised.

"Well, first we'd have to find out what the first task is. That shouldn't be too hard, should it? Then, we "accidentally" let him stumble upon something that might help him, like a spell, or a potion or something. Anything!" he implored, giving Hermione something to ponder. She did seem to consider it.

"It's… not a bad idea, I suppose. At least it's an idea, more than we've had so far."

"Great!" William closed his book shut and flew out of the couch, Hermione's legs following but she remained seated. "Let's get started!"

"What, now?!"

"There's no time like the present, you told me that, Hermione!" he smirked at her.

"I was talking about homework then, not trying to cheat at the bloody Triwizard Tournament!" she answered, obviously not enjoying having her quote thrown back at her.

"You say tomato…"

"And how would you proceed, then, mister I've-Got-An-Answer-For-Everything?"

"We'll…" William looked around, as if an answer or idea would appear out of thin air. "We'll ask Harry to borrow the Cloak. We'll sneak around the castle, listening to teachers, maybe even Dumbledore! Someone's bound to say something eventually."

"But we've got homework! We've stuff to do, and what if we -"

"Get caught? Hermione, have we ever gotten caught under the cloak?"

"Well… no, but Professor Moody sees everything with his eye! I bet he can see right through it!"

"Are you a Gryffindor, or are you not?!" William turned to his bushy haired friend, arms crossed and frowning. She looked a mixture of scared and excited at the prospect of sneaking around the castle. Her mouth opened once or twice, but no sound came out. In the end, she nodded, took William's hand and hit him lightly on the arm as he again smugly smiled at her, knowing his taunt had worked splendidly.

They took determined steps up to the dormitory, finding Harry lying on his bed, reading a book on Defence Against the Dark Arts. He looked miserable. It reminded William of the time when everyone thought Harry had been the Heir of Slytherin, as stupid as that idea was. This time, though, Ron had joined in against him, not to mention half the wizarding population, and the fact that he would enter a competition he was woefully under-qualified for. Hermione looked to have the same thoughts running through her head as they approached their messy haired friend.

"If you're here to yell at me again, I'll - oh, it's you two, I thought it was… never mind," Harry said, lying back down and putting away his wand. Hermione and William shared a quick look of understanding. _Ron_... that little git.

"We're wondering, Harry… Can we, er -"

"Could we borrow your cloak?" finished William. Harry sat back up, a confused look on his face. "And the Map, perhaps?"

"What for?" he asked. Once again, William and Hermione shared a quick glance.

"Oh, well, we thought -"

"Just take them, I don't care," with a thump, he was lying back down on his bed, pointing towards his trunk as he did so.

"H-Harry?" Hermione began, taking a careful step towards him. "Do you want to talk? You know we're always here for you, we're your friends, Harry."

"So was Ron, you know. I expect you've seen how much he's here for me, haven't you?"

"That's not fair, Harry! He's being stupid, but he'll come around and -"

"Maybe I don't want him to come around, Hermione!"

"Mate, I can't say I know how you feel, but you have to understand, Ron hasn't just betrayed you, you know. He's betrayed all of us," William said. Harry looked up at him questioningly. "It's been the four of us for years, just like the Marauders. I'm not saying he's Pettigrew or anything, but honestly, if you turn on one of us, you turn on all of us. He's dead to me until he mans up, realises what a bloody idiot he's being, and apologises to you." Hermione nodded approvingly.

"And you don't have to be all alone, Harry! Please, come with us! We'll go out all three under the cloak, and -" Harry waved her off, though looked to be in a better mood already.

"The three of us won't fit anymore. It's no problem, guys, you go. What were you going to do, anyway?"

"If we tell you, will you promise to let us help you with the Tournament?" Hermione bargained. Harry's green eyes looked back and forth between his two friends.

"I'll… think about it. I don't want you two getting into trouble."

"Us, in trouble?" William said, faking an insulted and surprised look. "Why, I'd never dream about causing trouble!"

"Keep an eye on him, Hermione," Harry laughed.

"Two eyes, as long as I can. And if you must know, we're going to spy on teachers," she smiled, though not fully managing to hide her nervousness at the idea. Harry's eyes widened at the uncharacteristic words that came out of Hermione's mouth.

"Maybe Will should be keeping an eye on you, Hermione!"

William and Hermione exited the Common Room as Ron entered (William made sure to bump into Ron's shoulder, receiving a nasty glare from Hermione as he did so), and solemnly swore that they were up to no good as they entered an empty classroom to inspect the Map. They quickly threw off the Cloak, which in truth could barely cover the two of them as they had grown so much during the last year, before settling down. Lumos lit the room up, and after just a few minutes of planning, they decided to target a room where Mr. Crouch, and Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout were currently residing in. It was the perfect moment, they acknowledged, as the Ministry official would most likely be discussing the Tournament with the Hogwarts teachers. Curfew was now in effect, so there was barely any chance they would bump into anyone, but they still kept an eye on the map just in case. It did not take them long to reach the closed room, though there was no way for them to actually hear what the teachers were talking about. Hermione insisted on trying a few spells on the door, which surprised William beyond belief, though none actually worked to make them hear anything from the room. One such spell caused the door to rumble quite loudly, which made the two Gryffindors run away frantically into the nearest broom closet, giggling as they crashed in.

"Shush!" Hermione hissed, barely able to contain her laughter, as she tried peaking out of the door. "I think we're in the clear, but we should probably take a look at the map first." William took out the map from his back pocket, and they both quickly fell upon it, their eyes darting to the small room they had crammed themselves into. If it wasn't so dark, William could have sworn he saw Hermione blush. "There!" she exclaimed, almost as if to distract William. "Professor Moody is in his study! If anyone should know anything about the Tournament, it's him," she argued.

"Let's go! We might -" William began, but Hermione took hold of his robes and dragged him down so that he almost landed on top of her, before he could open the door. She had her finger over her mouth, telling him to quiet down, before pointing towards the small opening in the doorway. The teachers had started exiting their room one by one, still talking among themselves. How they hadn't noticed them, William couldn't tell... Professor Moody was blocking much of their line of sight, and perhaps his magical eye was distracted...

"Well I'll be damned if the boy actually competes, Alastor. He is far too young! Not to mention that someone actually entered his name into the Goblet! Can't the boy catch a break?" asked Professor McGonagall rhetorically.

Hermione mouthed "Alastor?" to William. Hadn't they just seen that their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was alone in his office?

"So you think the boy did not do it himself, Minerva?" asked Professor Sprout.

"Of course not! And Albus agrees, he would never do such a thing, and he would not lie about it."

"But he must compete! The Goblet demands it!" claimed the short Professor Flitwick. "I've examined the enchantments myself - every name entered has been bound to compete, it's much like an Unbreakable Vow. Quite extraordinary magic, I must say -"

"Albus will find a way. He must!" McGonagall cried, though she could not hide the desperation in her voice. "And dragons, you say Alastor, dragons!" Professor Moody nodded gravely, muttering something under his breath. The teachers were now almost out of earshot.

"Merlin's beard…" squeaked Flitwick.

"Indeed, I worry for Mr. Diggory as well… And what about the Yule Ball? When will the students…"

Their voices trailed off into the dark hallway, leaving Hermione and William alone in the deserted second floor, staring at each other. Until now, they hadn't realised how close they were, being distracted by their teacher's conversation. The little amount of light entering their secluded broom closet revealed a slight redness in Hermione's cheeks, and even William felt the room had gotten quite hot all of a sudden. Her eyes bore straight into his, and her breathing seemed quite fast and heavy. She was biting her lip while William was wondering if Hermione always had been so pretty. It was a strange thought - she had grown and changed quite a lot during the past year, and so had he. He noticed loads of... developments in the mirror, and every time he saw _her_, come to think of it. Her hair was still wild and bushy, but her smile was both beautiful and contagious now, whereas before one would struggle to ever see it. She had a cute nose, and her cheekbones were higher and sharper. Given the lack of light in their room, it was quite ironic that he for the first time saw Hermione in a different light than he ever had before. But these were strange thoughts… Hermione was his friend! It was alright thinking this way about other girls, but not _her_. He cleared his throat before getting up.

"Er -" he began, fumbling for words. "Probably enough sneaking around for one night, right?" he flustered, before managing to contain himself.

"Y-yes, agreed. We'll tell Harry about the dragons, and do some research tomorrow. I'll… I'll ask Hagrid, he's bound to know something," she got up, though seemed careful not to look up at William.

"So," he said, trying to get her to think about anything else other than their awkward moment. "Yule Ball?" was the first he could think of.

Their walk back to the Common Room wasn't quite as cheerful as their exit had been. Laughter and excitement had been replaced by some sort of tension - a tension which William had never felt before, and he was sure Hermione hadn't either. Whether it was because of the revelation about the dragons, or something else, William couldn't say. Neither of them talked much, instead, they were both as far apart as the Cloak allowed them to be. William, not wanting to cause another clumsy moment with Hermione, was focusing on not accidentally brushing up against her, though the task proved to be exceedingly difficult. Every time he or she unintentionally touched the other, they hurriedly apologised before awkwardly attempting to pretend like nothing happened. It was about as much as either of them said before they reached the Fat Lady, who herself was annoyed at their late arrival, berating them for waking her up.

They hurried past the now open portrait when William made to fetch Harry from the dorms. Hermione squeezed his hand (_when did they start holding hands?_) nodded towards the couch in front of the fire, upon which a furious looking Ron Weasley sat, staring at them, and their interlocked fingers. Hermione quickly let go, leaving a coldness on William's hand where just seconds before warmth had emanated.

"Out for a night stroll, are we?" Ron asked, his angry gaze now back on William.

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" answered William.

"Problem? Me?" he rose from the chair, slowly walking towards the two of them. William felt himself edging in front of Hermione. "Nah, mate. I just thought my two best friends would have invited me into their little excursion, but I suppose you two are Team Boy-Who-Lived, aren't you? You actually believe the lying prick?" he laughed a hollow laugh. William's heart was racing, his fists curling up into balls.

"We do, Ron! And so should you, you're his friend!" Hermione pleaded, stepping in front of William. "You're being stupid -"

"Stupid, am I? I suppose I must be! Seeing what friends I've made. A son of a Death Eater, the famously lying Harry Potter, and a treacherous little scarlet woman -" Hermione slapped Ron hard across the face, tears welling up in her eyes. Ron staggered backwards, an absolutely frenzied look on his face. William could not believe what was happening. For a moment, he was stunned in place. Then, as Ron made a move for his wand, he went into action without a second's hesitation. Before Ron knew it, the red headed boy's wand was flying in the air, and then picked up daintily by William's free hand. Ron froze, before composing himself.

"Typical Garlant, aren't you? You steal my friend, you take Hermione for yourself, and now my wand?" he laughed again, almost maniacally. "I should've known not to trust your kind," he spat, while his hand rubbed the reddening mark where Hermione had struck him. "Pity You-Know-Who didn't finish the whole lot. Tell me, why'd he stop at your dad and granddad, huh? Maybe he recognised they were the only ones worthy of his time…"

William lunged towards him, no thought to the fact that he was a wizard and held two wands. In fact, where those wands now were, he had no idea. His hands were busy punching every inch of Ron they could find, and his mind focused on the words his former friend would live to regret. Hermione shrieked at them to stop, but it was mere background noise. Suddenly, he could not move. Hermione's voice came back into focus, and he could now hear sobbing accompanying it.

"S-Sorry, Will, I - I did not want to do it but… I had no choice," she cried. His petrified body attempted to speak, but nothing moved. The bloodied red headed boy below him was not similarly incapacitated, it seemed, for he quickly got up, wiped his running nose before storming up into the dormitory, slamming the door behind him. "You would have gotten expelled…" Hermione added. "F-finite Incatatem," and his body was his own again. He sat up, feeling returning to his every limb. His knuckles hurt, but it was nothing on his aching wrists and ribs. His breathing was painful, and a light cracking could be heard every time his lungs filled.

"I… I think I'd better go to Madame Pomfrey," his hand went to his ribs as he spoke. "Ron might be a git, but he's stronger than he looks," he tried to smile, seeing the tears running down Hermione's cheeks.

"I'll go with you," she said, wiping her face dry.

"You don't have to, Hermione. Thanks for stopping me. You're right, I would have been expelled. And if that happened, I would not be able to get stuck in any more broom closets with you," he said, wincing with every word. Hermione looked up at him with a small smile, before flinging herself on him in the most painful hug he had ever received. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" he complained, though he did not want to let her go.

"Sorry!" she cried again, but this time with a slight laugh. "Are you sure you don't want me to come?" William was shaking his head, trying to assure her.

"You should stay. Besides, I think I hear people coming, they might want to know what happened tonight. If not, fill Harry in on the dragons, will you?"

With that, William left to spend the night in the Hospital Wing, dreaming of dragons morphing into a certain red-headed git.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Broomsticks

**A.N.: In this AU the characters discovered the Room of Requirement during their third year. It will be explored in an upcoming chapter through flashback. Also, some Butterbeers may have been ****_borrowed_**** (Galleons discreetly left on the counter) from under the cloak.**

* * *

The first rainy weeks of November passed into snow with more than a bit of trepidation in the face of the upcoming First Task, making the days seem shorter and shorter. The most notable champion, who happened to be one of William's closest friends, became more and more agitated for every passing day. It didn't help that neither Harry, William, nor Hermione had a clue as to how Harry would beat a dragon, nor that Harry had received even more ridicule and bullying after a disastrous "interview" with the Daily Prophet's Rita Skeeter. It was hard not to feel sorry for the Boy-Who-Lived, though the rest of the school did not share that same sentiment. On November 13th, badges mocking Harry ("Potter stinks") and supporting Cedric Diggory became quite the fad in Hogwarts, with even Ron seen wearing one. That same day, Hermione was hexed and her front teeth enlarged greatly, until mended by Madame Pomfrey, while Snape gave William a week's detention for getting back at her attackers and screaming at the Professor when he insulted Hermione. Harry on the other hand, received a letter from his godfather, instructing him to speak with him in the hearth of the Common Room in nine days time by midnight. The trio were hoping he would have some ideas for the task, as they were starting to get more and more desperate. Another Skeeter article appeared the next day, in which she spewed more lies regarding the nature of Hermione's and Harry's relationship, with an added element of William in order to create some sort of triangle drama. In truth, that article brought more laughs than anything else into the Gryffindor Common Room, as neither of them could take it particularly seriously. A week later, on November 21st, only three days remained until Harry would compete in the first task, and no progress had been made. Hermione and William had excelled in classes, but Harry, who was more stressed out than usual, fell behind somewhat, not eased in the slightest by Ron sniggering at his every failed spell or potion in class.

The three of them were walking all the way to Hogsmeade, hoping to find some joy in the shops or in the bottom of a couple of butterbeer bottles. Hermione had her arm in William's, laughing at his stupid and dry joke about a Muggle, a Squib, and a Witch. Harry joined in, but seemed quite distant, as had been the norm these last weeks.

"Oi, Harry, Zonko's, or do you fancy a bit of warming up first?" William asked in an effort to bring Harry back to Earth. It took a few seconds before he seemed to process that someone had talked to him.

"Oh, er - Three Broomsticks. First and twentieth round on me," he said. Hermione let go of William to go to her other friend. William, following suit, put an arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Harry, there's still time left! I'm not sure drowning our sorrows away will help," she said.

"It might," William added with a smirk, getting a glare from Hermione. Harry chuckled, but didn't say anything.

"My point is," she gave William another mean look before continuing. "We still have work to do! We can probably get some practice done in the Room of Requirement tonight, and -"

"It's no use, Hermione, I can't focus right now. I'll probably blow one of you guys up trying that bloody Switching Spell," Harry responded, sounding a bit defeated.

"That's not true, you can do anything when you put your mind to it!"

"Not like you two, though. Honestly, when did you become miniature versions of McGonagall and Dumbledore?" he smiled at them. How could this boy be giving them encouraging words at this time. William laughed at what he was imagining Edward would say about Harry. "He's lying, he's manipulating you!" the voice in his head said. It was as far from the truth as possible. Harry was humble and selfless, and right now, he wanted nothing more than to enjoy a day with his two best friends without them focusing on him and his upcoming problems too much. Hermione did not seem to pick up on that, though, so William spoke as fast as he could when he saw her opening her mouth to keep badgering her friend.

"Broomsticks it is!" he almost yelled, as the three of them walked towards the cozy little pub.

Hermione did not return to William's arm, which he was both grateful for and somewhat ruing. He liked having her close to him. Not only did it remind him of that night in the broom closet, of which they still hadn't spoken a word about. It was also quite comfortable, as if they belonged with their arms together. He didn't really feel like telling her that. Not yet, anyway. All their time at the moment was spent on homework, classes, and helping Harry with the first task, and a lot of energy was also spent on patiently ignoring all the derisive comments from all around them. The upcoming Yule Ball, that Hermione and he had overheard about, would perhaps present a better opportunity to talk about… well, them. Perhaps it would do them good to ease up on getting too intimate before then.

It was a crowded evening at the Three Broomsticks, but the three of them found a lonely table in a corner from where Harry could order two rounds of Butterbeer. Professor Moody and Hagrid were occupying a table close by, with the giant waving his large hand frantically to greet them. A group of Slytherins were huddled like snakes, isolated in one corner, William's old friend Daphne Greengrass among them. They routinely ignored each others presence, and did so now as well. Ron sat with Seamus, Dean, Ginny, and the Patil twins in another corner, though the three of them dutifully ignored that lot as well, and received more than a few dirty looks from them, Dean Thomas and Ginny excluded.

"So, Lavender and Parvati have joined the bandwagon, have they?" asked William, wiping away the foam from his upper lip.

"Yeah -" hiccoughed Hermione as she took another swig. "They tried getting me to, and I quote, spill the beans on Harry. I think Ron and Seamus have them convinced. Sorry Harry," she looked at him pleadingly.

"They always were a bunch of dimwitted knobs," William muttered, earning a light slap on his arm from Hermione. Harry snortled into his Butterbeer.

"Heads up," Harry said, nodding towards the approaching Hagrid and Moody. Not that anyone needed any warning when a half-giant was walking towards them.

"Evenin' boys, Hermione," Hagrid beamed. "Where's Ron, then, eh?" No one responded, but the three of them shared knowing looks.

"We shouldn't be bothering you," Moody said, his regular eye fixed on Harry, while his magical one fizzed around the room. "But Hagrid insisted on a word with young Potter here, didn't you?"

"Righ'! Harry, would ye mind? Hermione, Will," he said as Harry went to a secluded part of the pub to talk to the groundskeeper. Moody remained, now turning his eye on William and Hermione, who themselves sat there in silence. The ex-Auror took a large gulp from his hip flask, while William and Hermione drank from their large glasses. In fact, they managed to empty their entire glasses before Harry returned, ordering another round as Moody departed with Hagrid. Harry had a strange, almost sad smile as he came back. What had Hagrid told him? Hermione seemed to have shared his thoughts.

"What did he say, Harry? Did he give you any hints on what you're supposed to do, or tips on how to handle dragons perhaps? If anyone knows it should be Hagrid! He owes us for helping him out with Norbert, don't forget!" she bombarded him with an eagerness to her voice.

"It's… no - I mean, I think he tried subtly telling me about the dragons - failing at that I might add," he smiled again. "But I told him I already knew. Then he gave me a long and… well, long speech about how proud he was, and how he knew I was going to win."

"Oh, that's lovely Harry!"

"Top man that Hagrid," William added, taking another sip.

His mouth was beginning to feel a bit numb, and a warmness radiated within him with every swig. It didn't take much longer for the numbness to spread, and if it weren't for the fact that he was a bit bigger than his two friends, and had begun drinking wine from a young age, he was sure he'd be just as loud and flailing as them after what must have been only a few rounds of Butterbeers. At one time, Harry came back to their table carrying another round while his robes were drenched in Butterbeer. He muttered something about "Weasleys" before Hermione dried his clothes with a tap of her wand.

"Will," Hermione began, looking a bit nervous. "Did you ever talk with Daphne after - you know… the -"

"No," William answered, putting down his bottle. "And I'd rather not, to be honest."

"But she was your friend!" said Hermione, obviously a bit emboldened by the Butterbeers.

"So was Ron, and we haven't talked to him yet," said Harry. "And if what Daphne did was half as bad as what Ron did, then we'll be well rid of her too."

"Hear hear," said William, clinking his glass against Harry's. Hermione rolled her eyes, took another sip, before giving up her prying on William's old friend and proceeding to the next topic.

The evening continued much like the Butterbeers did to their table. Harry's mood had improved greatly, despite them not making any actual progress in their quest to help him, though after a couple more rounds, William wasn't sure if it was because of his and Hermione's charming efforts, or the effects of the slightly alcoholic beverages they were consuming at an almost alarming rate. Most of the Broomstick's patrons had left by the time Harry had insisted they get a move on in order to make it before curfew, while Hermione herself insisted (though struggling through constant hiccoughs) on visiting the Room of Requirement for some more practising. William was sure it was a bad idea, imagining their aim would be more than a bit compromised by their current states, but he'd relented to her persistence in end, mostly due to laughing at the thought of Harry and Hermione stumbling around the Room. They weren't as used to the drink as he was, and while he had more than a light buzz going, the other two could hardly walk in a straight line as they made their way back to Hogwarts. William inserted himself between Harry and Hermione, taking their arms in order to keep them steady as they drunkenly laughed at every little stagger and slip.

"Alright, alright, enough with that!" Harry finally told Hermione off for stubbornly asking who he'd take for the Yule Ball, though it only prompted more laughter from both Hermione and him. "I might just go stag if you keep badgering me!"

"Going stag would suit you," said William, referencing Harry's famous Patronus.

"It would not!" Hermione returned. "I want to see him go with Ginny! She lo-" Hermione hiccoughed again. "-oooves him!" she giggled. "Or Cho! I've seen how she looks at him! Especially during last year's Quidditch game," she teased. Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, Harry, don't tackle me, please! You're such a gentleman!" Hermione batted her eyes at him, as his face grew to a shade redder than the Butterbeer could take credit for.

"Oh, Harry, do tackle me, please! Don't be a gentleman!" William joined in, much to Harry's annoyance and Hermione's increasingly loud giggles.

"Right, you two want to do this? Alright, what's going on between you two, then?" Harry asked, turning the tables on William and Hermione, who suddenly became very quiet indeed, not even daring to look at each other. William was now quite glad that Harry was too drunk to notice the hasty change in tension between him and Hermione.

"Nothing's going on, what are you on about?" William said, hoping Harry didn't hear the clang of nervousness in his voice. Hermione nodded looking equally nervous,

"Nothing? Really? Then why are you holding hands?" William and Hermione's eyes darted down to their interlocked fingers, which they, after sharing a hasty glance, immediately released. When had that happened? Again, a coldness that had nothing to do with the chilly November evening filled the void where Hermione's hand had been. "I knew it!" Harry boasted. "How long?"

"How long what?" William asked, hoping against hope that feigning ignorance would work on the tipsy, messy haired boy.

"Don't start with me on that! How long have you two been a thing for!?" he pressed on. Damn. He wasn't as stupid as his currently plastered demeanor gave off.

"We aren't a thing, and we never have been!" Hermione insisted herself, between a few more hiccoughs. "We've just - It just happened, alright? Let it go, will you?"

"I will if you stop badgering me about the bloody Ball already!" Harry had the upper hand now, William had to admit. "Besides, who'd want to go with the crazy, lying, glory-seeking Harry Potter?" he asked as they ascended the stairs into Hogwarts, still absentmindedly heading towards their secret room on the third floor.

"Loads of girls, mate! They'd be lucky to. I reckon Hermione's right about Ginny. We've all seen how she looks at you,"

"Looks but doesn't talk, you mean? I can barely speak to her without her running off! Also, she's his little sister! He might hate me now, but I would count myself lucky if I survived the Ball if he saw me with her," Harry argued, quite successfully to be fair.

"That was last year," Hermione began.

"And second year," Harry corrected.

"She might have grown up a bit since, you know? Why not give her a chance, Harry? Who cares what Ron thinks, it's not him you'd be dating."

"Perish the thought!" said William. Harry chuckled, before looking as if he contemplated the idea of dating Ginny.

By the time they reached the Room of Requirement, William again found himself holding hands with Hermione. As Harry stumbled into the now padded room, he gave her hand a squeeze, which she in turn returned without looking at him. To both of their surprise and further embarrassment, an identical broom closet to their broom closet was now located within the confines of the Room. Luckily, Harry had already collapsed on a heap of pillows by the fire, half snoring by the time the two joined him. It had been a much needed great day of enjoyment, one William would not forget in a hurry, his current intoxicated condition be damned.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Recovery

The day after their fateful night out at Hogsmeade, William, Harry, and Hermione found themselves waking up in the Room of Requirement, befuddled as to how they ended up there. Flashes of the night before returned to William as he struggled getting up, straightening his robes using some quick magic while completely giving up on his morning hair before the three of them headed for breakfast. It was a good thing there were no classes that day, Sunday as it was. Though they knew they were in for a long one today again, as Sirius was going to visit them by midnight in the Gryffindor Common Room fire.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was a long and arduous ordeal. William's head throbbed, and his throat was soar from yesterday's loud talking, drinking, and lack of sleep. Harry looked equally bad if not worse, while Hermione looked spry enough. William made a mental note to check if she had ingested some anti-hangover potion before sleep. If there even was such a thing. If not, he'd become rich inventing one, even though Potions were hardly his strongest subject. No, that was Transfiguration, much as his grandfather had claimed all those years ago. For some reason, it had always come easy to him, as if instinct kicked in every time he was tasked to perform the needed magic. He wasn't bad at Charms either, nor at Defence Against the Dark Arts, though Harry was his match in those classes, which was impressive given Harry's lack of studying time in comparison. Equally impressive was Harry's natural talent at Quidditch, something William was sorely lacking in. He had always wondered where Harry's reflexes and flying ability came from - such a natural in the air, dashing through back and forth effortlessly, almost like a…

"Harry!" William almost screamed it out, causing his head to ache painfully again. Several curious and tired Gryffindor heads in the Great Hall turned to him.

"What!?" Harry looked up from his barely touched breakfast food, rubbing his temples. William shot a couple of furtive glances around at the now peeping heads around them, before leaning in so only Hermione and Harry could hear him.

"What about flying?" he whispered.

"What about it?" Harry asked, a confused look on his tired face. Hermione seemed to catch on.

"That's it! Oh, Harry, how did I not think of it!"

"You want to fill me in, Hermione? What's he talking about?" Harry whispered.

"Your broom! You can use your broom!" she answered.

"But I'm not allowed -"

"You're allowed your wand! Summon it!" said William, now struggling to contain his voice. Hermione nodded frantically at William's suggestion.

"It's perfect, it'll work, I know it will!" she added.

"You guys are forgetting something," Harry shook his head dejectedly. "I'm awful at the summoning spell. Can't do it to save my life."

"You'll have to, mate. Literally to save your life."

"We'll help," Hermione promised.

"We've got, what, two days? No problem!" said William.

"Tomorrow's Monday though, Will. We have double Potions before History of Magic, and Transfiguration before we could do anything!"

"I'll skive off Transfiguration and History. McGonagall won't be too pleased but she knows I'm way ahead. And I'm sure Binns won't even notice."

"You'll do no such thing, William Garlant! Not under my watch!" Hermione looked at him sternly, but his mind was made up.

"Then I suggest you close your eyes, Granger, because I will. I can't skip Potions, though, Snape's already on me like white on rice." Harry laughed while Hermione looked angrier still, crossing her arms in disapproval. "All right, we have a plan, then? We'll work on the spell today and afternoon tomorrow, while Hermione can attend to classes like a good little girl and maybe make up with Ron for us while she's there."

"Oh ha ha, Will. Don't try to make me laugh. I still don't approve of your plan, but I can grudgingly accept it if you don't mention his name again."

"Deal! Harry?" Harry shook his head again, before shrugging with a smile on his face. "Excellent! Shall we?" William stood up far too fast, causing a lightheadedness that sat him abruptly down again. "On second thought, let's just wait a bit."

A loud thump of books landing hard on the table caused the three of them to nearly jump out of their seats, before grabbing their heads as their headaches spiked from the horrible noise. William was straining to glimpse the youngest Weasley looking very pleased with herself.

"Good morning," Ginny said, her freckled face smiling widely. "Had a good time in Hogsmeade yesterday?"

"I think we did," said William. "Can someone remind me?"

"You certainly sounded like you were. You should have heard Ron… I had to tell him off after he'd slandered you for a solid hour. I reckon you lot would have a decent libel case against him."

"You were there?" asked Harry, causing Ginny's cheeks to turn more than a bit red as she looked at him, seemingly having lost her ability to talk.

"You bumped into her while getting us a round," said Hermione. "She spilled Butterbeer on your -" but Hermione stopped herself, looking apologetically at Ginny. "Er - Never mind! So, Ginny… library?"

The rest of the day was spent in said library, as it was one of the only quiet places they could find that didn't involve them having to walk up too many stairs. If it weren't for Krum's usual band of girls following him around, it might've even been a comfortable and productive day. In the end, they barely managed to finish one essay each. William finished Snape's essay on the Wit-Sharpening Potion, reasonably concluding that he ought to be lucky if Snape gave him a passing grade above Acceptable. Ginny received some help from William on her Transfiguration homework, while Harry asked Hermione to correct his paper for McGonagall on the magical importance of intent, though she seemed rather embarrassed and preoccupied by something else, more or less refusing to look up from her own work. William did not fail to notice several of the Hogwarts and Beauxbaton girls giving Hermione nasty stares as the three of them exited the library for the day. What had that been about? He didn't have much time to ponder it, though, as the four of them passed William's and Hermione's broom closet on their way to the Gryffindor Tower, completely blanking his mind of any thoughts.

An unpleasant view met them as they entered the Common Room. Ron was sitting alone in front of the fire, heavy bags under his eyes and a scattering of parchments, books, and quills all around him. For a brief moment, the freckled boy looked as if he had forgotten they weren't on speaking terms, turning to Hermione as if to ask her to help him with his overwhelming amount of homework. After a quick shake of his head, he gathered and took his effects up to the dormitory. Ginny went to bed shorty after, thanking William and Hermione for their help and turned completely mute once more when facing Harry, only managing a nod before dashing off.

Neither of them could focus on any more homework, and it was no use doing anything other than helping Harry with the summoning spell until Sirius would be calling from the fire. Hermione read up on the theory and some pedagogical books on teaching magic, while William was showing Harry and trying to get him to magically fetch all kinds of things in the room. Sometimes a pillow, a blanket, or a book flew towards him with such force that Harry only managed to dodge them largely thanks to his Quidditch acquired reflexes. Other times, they barely stirred in their place, as Harry desperately tried annunciating "Accio" again and again to no avail. William was struggling to keep the spirits up as the clocked seemed to be ticking ever faster.

"I told you I was rubbish," Harry complained after what must have been the seventh hundredth attempt on a small quill on the other side of the room. William couldn't do anything other than agree, though he did not say it. How was it that Harry Potter, who could produce a corporeal Patronus in their third year, struggled so with a simple summoning spell?

"You're not rubbish, Harry! It's nerves and stress!" Hermione said, answering William's question. "Professor McGonagall mentioned it last week, how lots of wizards and witches struggle with their magic when they aren't in the proper mindset."

"Yeah, well, I'll admit the prospect of facing a fire-breathing dragon isn't exactly putting me in a relaxing spot for learning, Hermione."

"You'll just have to keep trying, there's nothing more to it!" she insisted.

"We've been at it for hours!"

"We'll have tomorrow as well. You'll get the hang of it, I know you will," William assured him. "Because if you don't, and I can't emphasise this enough, you'll die. And I've already put galleons on you not dying, so do me a solid and work on it a bit longer, will you?"

"You what!?" Hermione shrieked from her couch. Harry, on the other hand, looked if anything amused by the idea.

"Really?" said Harry, raising an eyebrow before continuing. "Who's betting against me? And would it be cheating if I bet on myself?" he asked, to Hermione's further astonishment.

"Harry Potter, you will NOT be betting on your life! And, frankly, I'm - I'm… offended that you of all people Will -"

"Fred and George've got you winning… I think Malfoy's bet on you lasting five minutes into the First Task, while our old pal Ron apparently says you'll get by to the end 'cause you're a lucky sod, but somehow also lose in a spectacularly embarrassing fashion."

"Reckon Ron's got it right."

"I reckon it's good they don't know about the dragons, yet. It won't exactly lower the odds - OI! HERMIONE!" William yelled indignantly, as their bushy haired friend snatched Harry's and William's wands right out of their hands.

"Oh, got your your attention, have I?"

"Give me back my wand, Hermione!" Harry demanded.

"Gladly! If we get back to working and you two stop talking bets and stupid boy stuff for five minutes!"

"It's just a bit of fun, Hermione, of course I won't bet on Harry's life," William said, crossing his fingers behind his back and winking at Harry.

"And you," she turned to Harry. "I suppose it's all fun and games for you too, then? You think it's a laugh that people who care for you have to imagine you dying, do you?"

"I won't die, Hermione. Will's said so, and you know his family's got that weird thing," he indicated towards William. It was true that the Garlant's were known to display some prophetical powers every now and then. Seer's Blood, his aunt Isobel called it. Though the jury was still out on whether William would ever display any such hidden ability.

"Yeah! We got that weird thing. Unlike the totally normal and not at all frightening Parseltongue thing Potter's got."

"Oh, well why didn't I think of that?" Hermione asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Here I've been working my bloody mind to the brink of madness, when all I needed to do was to consult the wise and all-knowing William Garlant! Pray tell us, oh mighty Warlock of fabled power, how was your latest Divinations essay graded? Where in between Poor and Troll does the answer to our future lie, exactly?" she crossed her arms. William couldn't help but smile, while Harry laughed outright.

"Trelawney couldn't spot a proper Seer if he hexed her in the mug!" William answered, still grinning. "Which I have done, repeatedly," he added, pretend-whispering to Harry.

"Evidently," Hermione said, with defeated finality. She relented, giving back the wands to the two boys, at long last admitting they were lost causes, before returning to her couch.

It was getting late. The rest of the Gryffindors were long since asleep, and the clock was nearing midnight. Sirius would be making his visit any time now, they knew, so they sat down in exhaustion in front of the fire. It took only a few minutes before the glowing embers stirred, eventually revealing the face of Harry's godfather, convicted and escaped prisoner of Azkaban Sirius Black. He looked better than he had a year ago - not as gaunt and ragged in the face. His hair had been cut much shorter, and his beard trimmed to frame his now quite handsome and much younger looking face, though there was a worried look upon him. William was leaning in towards him, squinting his eyes.

"Harry! Will, Hermione, good to see you three. Ron's still missing, then?" Sirius asked. The three of them nodded, though the thought of their former friend didn't seem to ruin Harry's mood as it once did. Perhaps finally seeing his godfather again had a greater effect on him than William would have thought. What William wouldn't give to see his grandfather like this again… "Shame… it would do you good to surround yourself with as many people you trust as possible, Harry."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I haven't heard much, but there is movement from the other side. Something is definitely happening, though I can't say what exactly."

"What have you heard?" asked William.

"Stirrings from some… old friends. They grow bolder, especially after what happened at the World Cup. And now this, with your name out of the Goblet and a known Death Eater inside Hogwarts, it's -"

"Death Eater!?" Hermione's hands flew to her mouth as she repeated Sirius far too loudly. The three of them looked worriedly around before turning back to the fire.

"Yes, Hermione. Igor Karkaroff is a convicted Death Eater, only out because he cut a deal with the Ministry all those years ago. And trust me, one does not simply stop being a Death Eater."

"But Dumbledore would never -" Hermione began.

"Dumbledore's got no choice. Why do you think he appointed an ex-Auror? Besides, Crouch himself isn't such an angel either. He sent his own son to Azkaban in order to advance himself politically. Not a pleasant man, Barty, showed no remorse."

"Sirius," William whispered. "D'you reckon one of them put Harry's name in the Goblet, then? I mean, given the little git didn't do it himself and has been tricking us this whole time," he added with a smirk. Sirius chuckled.

"Unfortunately Will, I have no idea who did that. It seems you are on your own there, for now at least… But, how are things otherwise? How's school? I would be remiss in my godfatherly duties if I did not ask," he smiled at Harry.

"Oh, it's - things are fine, I suppose. Ron's being an idiot, and so is half the school, but that's nothing," Harry waved it off.

"Excellent, excellent. And you're finding good use for my old Map, then? James would be quite disappointed if his son hadn't explored Hogwarts' secret passages as he and I once did," Sirius said, though he looked upon his godson with pride as he did so.

"Of course. And -" Harry looked around again, before he leaned closer. "We've found a Room which isn't on the Map." Sirius' eyes widened, and his smile turned into an 'o'-shape. "It's called the Room of Requirement. It's hidden, and has anything you need. It was great yesterday for instance, when we needed a place to sleep and -"

"A place to sleep?!" Sirius hissed. "Why weren't you in your dormitories? Harry, these are dangerous times, you can't keep putting yourself in such -"

"It was our fault, Sirius," said Hermione. William was nodding, though not entirely happy that Hermione tried to take the blame.

"Mostly mine," William admitted. "We'd had a bit - well, a lot more Butterbeer than intended, and thought -"

"It won't happen again," Hermione assured him. Sirius didn't look to pleased, though slightly more relaxed at their explanation.

"Well, I can't blame you too much, I suppose. You're all teenagers now, and I can't exactly say that I was an angel at your age," he accepted, as the three of them breathed out in relief. "And the first task? Have you found out -"

"It's dragons!" Hermione exclaimed. "Dragons, Sirius!"

"That won't be a problem at all, then!" he looked almost joyful now. "All you have to do is -" but he didn't have time to finish. Someone was walking down the stairs from the dormitory, and before they knew it, Sirius had vanished. The three of them were once again met with the unpleasant sight of the former friend, Ron, as he rubbed his eyes while entering the Common Room, glancing around as if he expected to find someone other than the three of them there.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked.

"No one," William answered.

"Each other," said Hermione.

"What's it to you?" Harry asked.

Ron was silent for a while, as if he expected anything else other than a hostile reception from his former friends. Abashed, and a bit embarrassed by the looks of him, he turned back towards the dormitory.

"I expect you two were helping prepare him for his next interview. Tossers," he finished, walking up to his bed. Git.

The three if them didn't linger in the Common Room, struggling as they were to keep themselves awake any longer. After sharing a few words about Karkaroff and Crouch, as well as what Sirius could have meant about the dragon, they bade each other goodnight and quickly fell asleep once they collapsed on their beds. William's night was once again filled with imagined dragons turning into Ron and back. His brother and father made appearances as well, on their knees in front of a shrouded You-Know-Who as if having received just rewards for faithful servitude. A hollow voice belonging to the Dark Lord thanked them for their loyalty, as they arose, turning to William with their hands outstretched. He tried screaming at them, but no sound came, and as his family smiled at him, his feet took him closer and closer towards the tall, hooded figure of Voldemort, until red eyes could be gleaned out in the blackness where a face should be. Wanting to turn, to run away, to leave his family behind, he exerted all the force he could muster, but again nothing happened. His feet were edging him forward, but he wasn't walking. He was gliding, floating as if caught in an unstoppable current that was taking him straight to the mouth of darkness, no matter what he tried to do. And then the face was clear. His face. He had red eyes and translucent skin, but it was his face upon the body of the Dark Lord. And he was laughing.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Lesson

William had barely slept that night, waking up in cold sweat with flashes of red eyes and an echo of a strangely familiar laughter ringing in his ears. _Voldemort_. Or was it himself? The thought sent shudders through him, but he could not shake it off. He knew his dreams weren't always just dreams. It was well known that the Garlants had Seer's blood in their veins, his aunt had told him. She herself often made vague predictions that often turned out to be accurate - one of which was that William would be sorted into Gryffindor, breaking a long line of serpents on both his father's and mother's side of the family. Perhaps it was just that that made his dreams all the more disturbing. Remembering the constant pull that drew him closer to the hooded figure… perhaps it was inevitable. Perhaps it was in his blood, to do the bidding of the Heir of Slytherin. Despite his best efforts. No. He would not have it. He could not. His best friend was Harry Potter, for Merlin's sake, and a Mud- _no_, Muggleborn Hermione Granger. He made his choice long ago, years before his first journey to Hogwarts. It was his grandfather who helped steer him away from the dark path, something he knew he would never be able to thank him for. But, even his grandfather William had been a Slytherin… Had this been their plan all along? To use William as some sort of pawn in order to befriend the fabled Boy-Who-Lived? To get close to him, before turning on him and accepting his destiny as an agent for the Dark Lord?

Before long, William found himself having borrowed the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from a snoring Harry, whispering that he would return as soon as he could, and headed towards the Headmaster's office with no real plan in mind. He needed to speak with him, to hear his reassuring tone and words regarding… well, everything. Harry. His dreams. His family. A speech bubble on the Map told him the gargoyle's password was Oddment, and it did indeed open the pathway to the staircase, finally reaching the doors when an old voice called out to him from the other side.

"Enter," the Headmaster allowed, as the doors swung open. He was sitting in his study, Fawkes slumbering on shoulder as several quills suddenly stopped making notes once William walked in. "Please sit, William," he asked, and the young boy did so. "To what do I owe the late pleasure?"

The ten thousand galleon question.

"I'm not… I honestly don't really know, Professor. I had a strange dream," William began, before realising how stupid it sounded. What if every student had a nightmare and came crying into the Headmaster's office? Not even first years did that. But Dumbledore smiled and his eyes had an intrigued look on them, behind their moon-shaped spectacles.

"Indeed… Continue, please," he nodded.

"I - er, it was Voldemort, I think. But it also wasn't… My family was there, and they wanted me to join him, but I didn't want to, and I tried stopping it but I couldn't, my body wouldn't - and then I was -" William rambled on, finally stopping as Dumbledore's hand went up and his smile widened. His heart was racing, but something about Dumbledore's demeanour was slowing down its beating and his breathing. "Sorry…"

"There's nothing to apologise for, William, nothing at all. I must ask you, loathe as I am to bring up hurtful memories, was your grandfather per chance in your dream?"

"My grand- no, no he wasn't. It was my father, and Edward, and I thought i heard my mother as well…"

"Ah," Dumbledore smiled again. "I thought as much. Or rather, I hoped. And tell me, were your brother and father submitting to Voldemort?"

"Y-yes, Professor. How did you -"

"First things first, William. You say you attempted to deny them?" William nodded. "And you were unsuccessful?" William nodded again. "So you, that is to say, your dream-self, bent down to Voldemort?"

"Well, not exactly…" answered William. Dumbledore's brows raised as he waited for the exhausted boy to continue. William's eyes closed involuntarily as he was trying to remember everything that had happened during the night. "It… it was me. I saw myself where Voldemort's face should have been."

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours after that, though truthfully, William could barely tell what time it was at any point during their conversation. Dumbledore intense blue gaze stared straight into his own eyes, as if scanning him, and a feeling of deep shame settled itself as a knot in William's gut. Eventually, and quite suddenly, the Headmaster arose from his chair and walked towards what William recognised to be a Pensieve. Fawkes awoke and flew across the room before landing gently in William's lap. Dumbledore's wand withdrew a thin, transparent strand of silver from the old man's temple, and he gently poured it into the swirling mass of memories the basin contained.

"Sir," William began. Dumbledore turned back to the boy sitting in the chair in front of his study. "Did - did you know my grandfather?"

"Certainly," answered Dumbledore, nodding slightly before he returned to his seat. "Bill, I called him. He was a brilliant student, as I recall, but an even more impressive man," Dumbledore finished, his gaze now staring out the window towards the horizon.

"My family… they say - I've heard he was close to Voldemort. That he was a Death Eater, even," William hesitantly added. Dumbledore's eyes darted back to him. They looked almost angry, or at the very least annoyed - as hostile as he had ever seen Dumbledore be up close. It wasn't something he ever wanted to see again. In an instant - as if it wasn't already, it became quite clear why this old man was and had always been the only one Voldemort ever feared.

"And what do you believe, William?" he asked, his face slowly relaxing.

"I… I didn't know him that long. But you know my family's history… And he was a Slytherin, Sir."

"It is lucky we are not defined by who we are, or one hat's opinion of our potential, at eleven years old. Painting people with broad strokes is not a trait I would have assigned you, William," the Headmaster leaned down to look at him above his spectacles. "Why, even Gryffindors can act mischievously, as you very well know," he smiled. "I trust your and Ron's relationship has not yet been mended?"

"No."

Dumbledore nodded gravely, but his smile did not entirely vanish.

"Fickle matters, friendships. Alas, I never entirely got the hang of them. Though I can not stress their importance enough, and the importance of forgiveness and redemption, I urge you to perhaps consider that sometimes you have to do the reaching out, even when the fault does not lie with you."

"But he -"

"Did nothing most people have not done. He succumbed to his vices, to his flaws. I myself, and your grandfather too, I believe, have committed the same sin many times over. Whether we deserve forgiveness is not up to us. It is up to those who we have wronged. Remorse is a vital ingredient, of course, but remorse can be buried deep below insecurities and a hurt pride. If you once valued your friendship, you would do well to help him see it. Recall, if you will, Miss Greengrass. Have you not felt the absence of your once blooming relationship?"

"N-no. No", lied William. Again, Dumbledore eyed him closely, peering over his glasses and raising an eyebrow. "She's a cruel… always angry, blames -"

"And a Slytherin," Dumbledore added. "Yet she was still your friend. Tell me, are all the trials and tribulations you two shared not proof of the very fact that it is _not_ our labels that divide us - be they House, family name, or other - it is the individual's _choices_ and _actions_ that do so. Ronald chose poorly. Perhaps Miss Greengrass, or yourself, did so as well. Regardless, now the burden of the choice lies with you... And now, I think, it is time for you to return Harry's belongings to him," the Headmaster ended their conversation as Fawkes returned to his shoulder.

The little sleep William found the remainder of that night did not help much, not more than Dumbledore's words had done. Though he had not learnt much new regarding his dream, at least the Headmaster was now aware of it, and he was sure Dumbledore would tell him if there was anything more to it. But he found out more about his grandfather, and, what's more, about what needed to be done regarding Ron. It wouldn't be easy, but since when was anything that was hard to do not worth doing? Convincing Harry would be harder, he was sure. Speaking of, today was the day he'd promised to help his friend further with the summoning spell! Just after a double Potions class, and they'd be all set.

William arrived ten minutes late to Potions, having fallen asleep in the boy's bathroom after breakfast, and received detention with Snape that day. The Potions teacher seemed utterly pleased by that, knowing he most likely had stopped Harry from getting extra help from one of his friends. Snape spent the rest of the class trying to give Hermione a reason to acquire her own dose of detention. To her immense credit, Hermione rose above the taunts, even ignoring when the Professor dropped her vials as she presented them not once, but twice. His disgusting, slimy little grin as he did so made William wonder if it wouldn't be worth getting another month of detention by hexing him, before Hermione gave him an angry glare. He had already done enough damage, her look said.

So William spent his skiving time from Transfiguration and History of Magic reading up on the summoning spell until he was joined by Harry and Hermione, before he had to run back to the dungeons. Harry accepted his apologies out of hand, though Hermione seemed more perturbed by his transgressions. At least William knew he'd pay for them. With Snape. It reminded him of what Sirius had said last year; "…twelve years of it! In Azkaban…" Though William would never claim enduring detention with Snape could be likened to a prison sentence, it did feel like it maybe could be the opening for the headliner that in this metaphor was Azkaban.

Snape ordered him to clean the cauldrons and tables without magic, and sort the ingredients on the shelf by alphabetical order. Of course, to do so, he would have to identify each and every ingredient, which wasn't the easiest task as most vials were dirty to the point where he needed to scrub until his elbows ached before he could actually see the ingredient. Every once in a while, Snape looked over at him. His smug expression only worsened William's mood, and so did the thought of Harry and Hermione struggling to accomplish what they failed to do yesterday. A lump formed in his throat when he imagined Harry standing in front of a towering dragon, holding out his wand and screaming for his broom to come, before fire engulfed him. As if Snape had read his mind, a soft, hideous laughter exited the Professor's greasy mouth. William's eyes darted up to him.

"Is something amusing you, Professor?"

"I don't recall allowing your questions, Garlant," Snape replied, still smiling.

"Apologies, Sir," William said through gritted teeth.

"But the question has been asked, and so I shall answer it." William was looking up at him in surprise. "I must admit I find the thought of Mr. Potter facing a dragon by tomorrow highly, highly amusing. And no friends to help him, tut tut. After all, the whole world now knows that the famous Boy-Who-Lived is nothing else but a glory seeking charlatan, surviving only by luck and through the help of others." Snape grinned again, as if challenging William to bark back at him. It took all of his energy not to retort, and he was sure his tongue was bleeding after having bitten it for so long and so hard. He put his efforts into scrubbing a vial containing something that might have been powdered Hobsroot, trying to ignore the taunts.

The two of them spent so long in the dungeons that by the time William had completed his tasks, the whole room was almost unnaturally squeaky clean, with every ingredient in perfect order. A second's thought was spent on wondering whether Snape had enchanted to clock to tick slower, as William's stomach gave a mighty growl of hunger, but dinner had already been served and removed. Perhaps a late excursion to the kitchen's was necessary… But, Hermione and Harry might need him, so his feet instead marched him towards the third floor and the Room of Requirement, where he was sure to find the two of them. Sure enough, there they were.

"Will!" Hermione greeted him with a hug, letting him know all was forgiven. Harry had a relieved look on his face as he entered.

"It's almost past midnight! We thought you and Snape might've hexed each other. What did he have you do?"

"Clean cauldrons, scrub tables, endure taunts… the ordinary stuff. Not that you'd know, Hermione," William gave what must have been a very tired smile. "How are things here, then?"

"Improving," Harry answered.

"He's just being modest! I think he's got it, honestly. Show him, Harry!"

Harry had indeed mastered the spell, throwing William a book before summoning it magically. They kept at it for a while longer, just to make sure, but Harry didn't really need it. William looked on with pride at their, mostly Harry's, accomplishment. If only Snape could see them now. Well, he would tomorrow. Being so confident in Harry's ability, it was a much more relaxed William that sat down in front of the fire in their hidden room. His thoughts strayed back to the nightmares he suffered, and his conversation with the Headmaster. He still hadn't had a chance to tell his friends, yet… would he want to? He had given it some thought, and knew he needed to consult them before attempting to mend things with Ron.

"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," Harry said. "Threaten me with a dragon." William and Hermione chuckled. The hearth warmed their exhausted bodies. In less than a day, Harry would be standing in front of a dragon… And somehow, despite all their efforts to help him, despite all their work and preparations, something was missing.

"We need to talk about Ron," William finally said, getting the other two's attention quickly. "Or rather, we need to talk with Ron."

"I'm not talking to him until he apologises," Harry asserted.

"He will, mate, trust me. He knows he's being thick, and he knows he crossed many, many lines. But he's still your friend, our -"

"Not to me, to Hermione! She told me what he'd said to her, and to you, for that matter!"

"It's - it's nothing, Harry. Really, I know he didn't mean it," said Hermione.

"He should still apologise! All that he said about Will's family, wishing Voldemort had killed him too! Exactly why are we so quick to forgive that?" Harry asked. Conceding that it was a valid point, William ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Look, I'm not saying we should just act like everything's back to normal. Maybe it'll never be! I'm just saying, one day we all - each and every one of us - will make mistakes. We need to learn to forgive one another. Even if that means taking the higher road... Even if that means us offering the olive branch. It's… what Dumbledore would have done. What my grandfather would have done."

Harry and Hermione stared at him. Despite William's own gaze currently focusing on the dancing flames of the Room of Requirement's fireplace, he could feel it. It made him slightly embarrassed, knowing his rant had made caused this sudden silence between the three of them. Hermione took his hand and squeezed it, and Harry put his arm around him and nodded at him.

"Weren't you the one who punched him?" he teased.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Dragon

**A.N.: A quick sketch of how Daphne Greengrass looks in my head: ****imgurcom/PRajAav (add a period after "imgur"). That'd be her in about year 6. **

The day of the first task had finally arrived. William and Hermione had managed to find seats next to Fred, George, and Ginny, the latter looked about the same colour as the grass in the stadium. Hermione, having been an integral part in Harry's preparation, seemed slightly more confident in her friend, though she too carried a heavily worried expression. Fred and George did a decent job of masking their concerns by collecting bets and distributing Harry-supporting accessories, while taking every chance to throw nasty glares at Ron, and any other Gryffindor who was known to wear those awful badges. To be fair, William hadn't spotted Ron having one of those in some days now, though that might have something to do with Cedric having spread the word to stop wearing them after Harry had warned him about their upcoming task. That had been quite selfless of him, all things considered.

Ludo Bagman exited the champions tent to hold some speech, but William could hardly hear a thing over the crowd's cheers and the dragon's roars. He had mentioned something about judges scoring, the champions having to steal an egg, and the order in which they would compete. It seemed as though Cedric would be first, followed by Fleur, then Krum, and lastly, Harry. By the time Cedric had done managed to not die and escape the challenge with the egg intact and just a little hint of burnt skin, Hermione was so anxious she had grabbed William's hand with such strength he could no longer feel his fingers.

Fleur attempted some sort of elegant magic, but that didn't quite work out either, by the looks of her after she stole the egg. Krum on the other hand had done rather well, then again his dragon had been significantly smaller than the others. Once the Hungarian Horntail emerged from its lair, a tense silence spread across the audience. Even the Slytherins seemed disturbed by the thought that a fourth year would be facing that… beast. She was as large as anything William had ever seen. Every part of her was covered with sharp spikes, and her scales look as thick as the walls of Hogwarts, and were probably as magically protected as well. How… How had anyone thought this would be a good idea? She looked as if she could swallow Hagrid whole, let alone Harry! And they hadn't even seen her fire-breathing capabilities yet!

"Ouch Will, your squeezing my hand!" Hermione complained, as William let go.

"Sorry… but, have you seen that thing? It's - it's -" He was shaking his head in utter disbelief. Ginny's hands were covering her eyes, not daring to look at all. Fred (or George?) covered his mouth, while the other twin's eyes were as large as two Bludgers.

"It's barbaric and cruel! Oh, why does everything have to happen to that boy!?" Hermione finished William's thoughts.

Eventually, Harry walked out of the tents, one hesitant step at a time. The whole arena stared at him as if completely spellbound. He raised his wand, cried out "Accio Firebolt!" and the game was on. The Horntail heard him and instinctively placed herself between Harry and her eggs, with an ear-deafening roar to scare him off. Harry stood his ground, waiting patiently for the broom to come.

Everything happened quite fast after that. A whooshing sound was heard as the Firebolt dashed through the air behind the arena, before it flew past Harry. He had to time his jump perfectly to evade a scorching blast of the Horntail's fire and fly off. He made a dive for the egg, but the giant dragon shifted her right wing in front of him, forcing him to dodge quickly again and speed up as she made to bite him in the air. A few twigs of the Firebolt stuck between the teeth that were as long as swords.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

One of the massive chains holding the dragon cracked loudly, causing a gasp to spread across the crowd, followed by screams of horror as the Horntail took to the skies to hunt her would-be thief. The blur that was Harry sped up once more, and by this point, Ginny had turned towards William, burying her head in his robes. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hermione glancing at them, before quickly turning her attention back to Harry and the dragon.

The Gryffindor Seeker evaded the she-dragon by looping and feinting back and forth. William was quite glad they had invested in those magical binoculars during the World Cup, as Harry had clearly learnt a thing or two from Krum. Before the Horntail could react, he had spun around back towards the arena - towards the eggs. The dragon let out a piercing shriek - fearing for her eggs as she realised what was happening, but Harry was too fast. He dove into the nest, grabbing the golden egg as if it were a large snitch, before he flew behind a rock to hide. The dragon landed with an earth shattering crash, shielding the rest of her eggs as she once more roared, while the crowd to a man held their hands to their ears. But he had done it. Harry had done it. Without taking a beating or being even slightly burned… William could breathe again.

"Look at that!" Bagman was practically screaming. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily as they reunited with him on the outskirts of Hogwarts. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. Ginny's eyes were bloodshot, while William was feeling that his own eyes had been sewn permanently open as if horror-struck. "You were amazing! You really were!"

"Blimey Harry, when did you learn to fly?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, you should really consider Quidditch once this has all blown over!" George said.

"Well done, mate," William pulled him into a hug. "I knew you wouldn't die, you still owe me a tenner." Ginny didn't find the courage to say anything, but she nodded fervently as the others spoke and she giggled at Fred and George's joke. Harry laughed and thanked them all, but his focus seemed to be on something, or someone behind them. As they all turned around to see Ron, who himself was ghostly pale and staring at Harry, they quieted to let the two boys sort out whatever they needed to sort out.

"Harry," Ron said, very seriously. "Whoever put your name in that goblet - I… I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

"Caught on, have you?" said Harry coldly. "Took you long enough."

The five others stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other as if they attended a muggle tennis match. William had a feeling that he was intruding on something private, but he needed to hear this. They all did. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. They all knew Ron was about to apologise, but nothing came as he seemed to fluster and stumble upon the words. Harry looked at Hermione, then William, who was nodding at him, and then back at Ron.

"It's okay," he said, before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it."

"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't have -"

"Forget it," Harry said.

Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back. It was as though the last few weeks had never happened - as though Harry were meeting Ron for the first time, right after he'd been made champion. As it should have happened in the first place.

"And Hermione - Will…" Ron began, turning to them.

"It's done, mate," William waved him off. "I'm sorry, too." Hermione nodded, before nearly bursting into tears while the others laughed and gathered around Harry and Ron.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her.

"You boys are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug, grabbed William by the robes, and dashed away with him. The other's voices slowly diminished as the distance grew.

"Barking mad," said Ron. "Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores..."

Where the two of them were headed wasn't cleared up until Hermione dragged them past the teacher's room on the second floor. Not a word was shared as they crashed into the broom closet once more, and before William could say "Quidditch", she was on him. Their lips met as William staggered backwards, hitting something hard, but for some reason no pain came. Both of their hands seemed frozen to their sides. William's mouth was almost as numb as the time they had drank too much Butterbeer, and in fact, his head was feeling quite as light-headed as it had then. It was… pleasant. Chaste, short, wet… but pleasant. Hermione pulled away looking mightily embarrassed, not braving to meet his gaze. Wanting to say something, William's mouth opened, but no sound would come. Instead, Hermione turned around and scampered off in the direction they had come from, her face scarlet, but smiling. Maybe Ron had a point about her…

Later that same day, the Headmasters, Ludo Bagman, and Mr. Crouch would present the four champion's their scores. In an obvious display of bias, Karkaroff only gave Harry a four out of ten, while giving his own student a perfect grade, despite Harry clearly outperforming his Durmstrang rival. As such, they ended up tying for first place on 40 points, with Cedric in second and Fleur in third. The champions were then told that the Golden Egg they retrieved contained a clue as to how to pass the Second Task. Arriving in the Gryffindor Common Room that night to tumultuous cheers and a raving party, Harry opened the Egg, which let out a horrible high-pitched wailing that assaulted everyone's ears. It was evident it needed to be deciphered, somehow, which William pointed out to his friend - though how much Harry had heard him wasn't exactly clear as they all still had a ringing in their ears.

Wanting to speak with Hermione about possible solutions for the clue, he made his way around the crowded Common Room in search for the bushy haired girl. But she was nowhere to be found. Either she was avoiding him, or she had gone to bed. Having already set of the klaxons once before, William would not try to make his way up to the girl's dormitory again. He rejected any and all alcoholic beverages though, still remembering his head hurting the day after their last Hogsmeade outing. Fred and George had somehow acquired some Firewhiskey, which was currently doing the rounds, and a whole cask of Butterbeer.

Instead, William left the Common Room, making sure to clap a slightly tipsy Harry on the shoulders and congratulating him once again. He wasn't sure where he wanted to go, but the Room of Requirement had always been a great place to clear his mind. Perhaps it would turn into a relaxing spa this time, or maybe that cave by the lake his grandfather had taken him to when he was young. How far could the magic of the Room actually extend? Surely it couldn't conjure up waves and a massive cave-like structure… Before he could finish his thought, a red haired girl was sitting alone in a dark hallway off to the side of the stairs leading to the third floor, leaning on a door and dimly illuminated by the torches along the wall.

"Hello?" he called out, and Ginny's freckled face looked up at him, gently lit by the soothing torches on the walls. "You alright, Ginny?"

"I'm - It's fine," she said, wiping her face. "It's just…"

"Harry?" William asked, approaching her slowly. The girl nodded. "I know. We all worry about him."

"Why does it always have to be him? Why couldn't it be someone else this year… like Malfoy… or - Cho, or anyone?!" she said. William sat down next to her, smiling at her choice of Harry-replacements.

"I don't know, Ginny. But he'll make it. I know he will."

"How could you know that?!" she stared at him incredulously as if he'd said something scandalous. "You can't know that!" William was laughing again, which just caused Ginny to look even more angry and confused. "What's so funny, Garlant?!"

"You're right, I don't know that. But I have a strong feeling he'll be fine. Besides, didn't you know us Garlant's have Seer blood?" Ginny's eyes widened. "No? Well, it's true! Our gut's always right. And, at the moment, my gut tells me Harry will make it. He'll win the whole bloody thing," William said, putting his arm around her. She leaned in on him, relaxing her head on his. It was quite cozy. The sound of the torches crackling was the only thing breaking the complete silence, but it wasn't an awkward one. He'd always seen Ginny as a little sister, not least because she was positively tiny in his eyes. But she had grown a lot the last year, and William wasn't the only one who'd noticed how much attention she was getting, and not only from the boys in her year. Both Dean and Seamus had thrown her the same hungry look they otherwise reserved for when the Beauxbaton girls walked by, which made William feel both worried and… something else he could not quite put his finger on. Angry, almost, or something akin to anger. Jealous? No, that wasn't it. It was some sort of older-brotherly feeling of concern - of wanting to protect her. It had to be.

"Will?" Ginny looked up at him, bringing him back into the hallway from whatever cloud he had been on.

"Hmm?" he answered. Her glistening brown eyes shone in the darkness.

"Do you and Hermione sit like this often?"

"Oh, er - well, it happens I suppose. Why?"

"It's nice, is all. Is she… your girlfriend?" she asked. Was she? They had shared a kiss, but they hadn't talked about it at all. Had it meant anything, or was it something she did in the heat of the moment? And sometimes, especially when they had a bit to drink, they would hold hands, but that was it, really.

"No," William determined. "Not really. But we did k-" it happened again.

Ginny's lips were on his, her arms around his neck as his head thumped loudly into the door behind them. A sudden explosion of lust and forbidden urges took hold of him, almost before he could consciously react to the fact that she was kissing him. Her lovely scent of flowers washed over him, and her lips left something very sweet, intoxicating, irresistible, on his every time she pressed herself on him. It was perfect bliss, but the girl wasn't happy with just a brief kiss. Her warm lips moved away from his before fiercely exploring his cheeks, his chin, and then all over his throat and jawline, while her hands ran through William's hair. The hair on his skin stood up with every teasing touch. He wanted to grab her, to kiss her back, but something was stopping him. Instead, he was struggling to pull himself off her; every fibre of his being wanting nothing more than to keep kissing her, to keep her lips all over him…. But in the end, he managed to put a bit of distance between them, grabbing the girl's shoulders and leaning back until he could see her beautiful eyes again. Ginny's face was all flustered, her freckles barely noticeable on what was now a canvas of hot red instead of its usual pale tones. Her hair was wild, and her eyes had a burning passion as they drilled into William's. It took all of his effort and willpower not to kiss her again.

"Ginny…" he began. "Ginny, I can't," he shook his head. "We shouldn't. Not -"

"Why not?" she asked, a nervous and shy smile on her. "I like you, Will."

"I like you too, Gin, but I'm… Her- it's not that simple!"

"It should be!" She stood up now, looking down at him. She didn't seem angry, yet her voice and a sharpness to it. "Why isn't it?" she crossed her arms.

"Because," William struggled to get up, noticing and ignoring something stiff as he did so. Taking her hands and uncrossing her arms, he stood a head taller than what had to be the prettiest girl in school. "I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. And there's something coming up soon, I can't tell you yet but you'll find out. Maybe we can talk more then?" he pleaded. She looked unsure, as if William was just looking for a way to temporarily placate her. "Besides, how'd you think Harry would feel if he knew we were going out?" William teased. Ginny snorted.

"He's barely aware I exist, I reckon. Look, you've made your point, and no matter how stupid it is, I suppose I'll have to accept it. For the record, I never said anything about us dating," she smiled at him. "Just maybe, you know, sneaking about the castle, snogging in dark abandoned hallways."

"Right temptress, you are," William laughed nervously. "You're not old enough to speak like that, young lady," he admonished her. Putting his arm around her again, they started their way back towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I'm only half a year younger than you, git," she poked him in the ribs with her elbow.

Perhaps he'd need a Butterbeer after all.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Decision

**A.N.: Drawing time! I sketched the Room of Requirement as Hermione's nightly study: ****imgurcom/bBBY30l (add period after "imgur").**

* * *

The following weeks were confusing times for William. Hermione was both more distant, and more clingy than she had ever been in the days following the First Task. She seemed to be undecided on what she actually wanted from their relationship, and the resulting constant back and forth between hanging on his arm before sitting as far away as possible in classes left William's head spinning. He complained to anyone within earshot that Hogwarts should offer an elective on how to deal with girls, and it wasn't long before more and more boys were agreeing with him - especially after McGonagall had announced what Hermione, Harry, Ron, and William already knew - that the Yule Ball would take place within a fortnight, and that boys were expected to ask girls if they'd want to accompany them as dates. Having already managed the Cross-Species-Switch spell in their Transfiguration class, earning Gryffindor another ten points for doing so on his first try (Hermione had thrown him a rather nasty glare as she hadn't quite manage it yet), William spent the rest of the class wondering who he would ask. Most of the times there were only two options: Hermione, or Ginny? A few times, his old friend Daphne Greengrass popped into his head - forcing him into wondering whether they'd attend the Yule Ball together if they were still friends. The Headmaster's words echoed in his mind as he thought of her, but an answer didn't come to him regarding any of his potential dates. Nor did it the rest of the week. Ron and Harry, who themselves had an equally poor time of it, weren't exactly available to ask for advice. He hadn't spoken to anyone about kissing the girls, and him and Ginny barely spent time together as they were in different classes. He'd spotted her looking at him once in a while, but she was as often gazing at Harry. Perhaps Harry would ask to take to youngest Weasley? After all, she wouldn't be able to attend otherwise, being a year too young for the event.

Plenty of girls had asked Harry, though. They ranged from shy third year Ravenclaws, who ran away crying as Harry answered "No" before he even looked to contemplate whether he wanted to or not, to burly fifth years who looked as if they'd whack him over the head if he'd reject them. William and Ron wasted no time in taking the mickey out of him for his newfound fanciable status. Harry, humble as always, claimed it all came down to the fact that he'd beaten the First Task, not that they actually liked him as a person. Of course, it didn't (or did, depending on ones perspective) make matters worse that Harry had grown to become quite handsome these last couple of years.

It was late one December evening in the Room of Requirement. William was by himself reading about Animagi after being inspired by the Marauder's Map - curiosity had overtaken him as he wondered what animal he'd transform into. He knew he had done alright in Snape's Antidotes test earlier that day, but both he and Harry had their batches ruined by the greasy haired sack of warts as they turned them in. William had stormed to the third floor, skipping dinner in order to produce happy thoughts and his Patronus, which he'd finally managed after months of practice. It was always a large, shaggy-looking dog, reminding him of Sirius' Animagus form. Once or twice, he contemplated sending Harry's godfather an owl to ask him for any help in becoming an Animagus, but first he'd want to read up on the basics. Apparently, the dangers of attempting the shift into ones animal form was enough to dissuade most wizards and witches. If one was not careful enough, some parts could get stuck mid-transformation, and the process of turning back in such cases were excruciatingly painful. And, as if that wasn't quite enough, once one attempted to switch into their Animagus-body for the first times, their animal instincts could take over, making the witch or wizard completely forget how to change back! A knock on the door broke William's concentration, as Hermione's bushy hair entered the frame of the door. Looking around the large library he had conjured, she took some hesitant steps towards the hearth where he was sitting.

"Hi," she said. "Do you mind -" she indicated to the other part of the couch. William nodded and scooched over, making room for her without them being forced to be too close. "Where's Ron and Harry?" she asked.

"Looking for dates, I expect," answered William, his eyes now back on the book, though he wasn't reading. Truth be told, he was still a bit miffed about Hermione's and his lack of acknowledgement about their kiss, and for some reason, it felt easier to blame her. After all, she was the one who was avoiding him! Though, what his excuse was now when she finally approached him, he couldn't say.

"What are you reading?"

"Animagi: A Beginner's Guide to the True Form, by Harrold Harriot, who - believe it or not - turned into a hare," he said. Hermione's chuckle lifted his spirit somewhat, though he did not look up from his book.

"I've always been fascinated by Animagi! I just wish I knew what animal I'd transform into. And it's supposed to be very dangerous! I'd rather not risk it and several years of effort before finding out I turn into some insect."

"Yeah," William nodded. "It'd be easier if my name was Doggo Dogman, then I'd know I'd turn into a cat at least," he joked. Hermione laughed again, and he could not help smiling at that sweet sound.

"Will?" she began, reminding him far too much of how Ginny had begun their little moment after Harry's First Task.

"Yes?" he said, finally looking up at her. It looked as though she hadn't slept for days. She was still pretty, but the bags under her eyes and her pale, nearly translucent skin was showing clearly in the soft light from the hearth.

"I - I wanted to apologise. For what I did that day, I mean."

"For - you mean the snogging ambush?" he smiled, teasing her. "Water under the bridge, Hermione."

"No, it's not!" she insisted. "It wasn't fair on you. And neither has my behaviour been since."

"Really, it's -"

"I must've confused you, and I'd never want to - I just really like you and I was hoping maybe we could - but it's stupid," she shook her head, her bushy hair flailing as she did so. Her hands flew to her face to cover her apparent embarrassment.

"Whatever you wanted, what happened wasn't stupid. It was… rather lovely, actually." Hermione looked up at him again, her eyes wet with tears and her cheeks finally getting some much needed colour. "I just wish we'd find a better place to do it than a crammed broom closet. You'd think this Room would be suitable enough, given that it's hidden and all."

"It was the first place I thought about!" she said defensively, though unable to hide a grin. In that moment, all that filled William's head was their kiss on that day, but it wasn't happening as it had that day. Instead, for whatever reason, images of him and Hermione in the Room of Requirement, kissing wildly and passionately, flooded his mind's eye. He could almost feel it, as if he was there. The same feelings that he had during their kiss in the broom closet were bubbling up, and he could almost sense himself leaning towards her, when she again opened her mouth to speak. "But I need to tell you something," she said. William woke from his reverie, and snapped back into place.

"Hmm?"

"It's… about Yule Ball. I don't want to give you the wrong impression, because I really like you, Will," she began. Sensing she was going somewhere he wouldn't particularly like, he was hoping against hope that there wasn't a "but" that would follow. "But," she said, as William's eyes closed for a second or two. "Someone asked me, and before I knew it I'd said yes."

"Oh," was all he could say. Who? He wanted to ask. When? Why? A sudden urge to hex someone took grip of him, before Hermione's hand touched his hand, causing a calmness to be placed over him like a soft blanket. "Er - and… when - who - what?" he stumbled.

"It happened in the library, just the other day. Well, that's not exactly true. It's been a week now, I think…"

"And that's why you've been avoiding me?" William asked, completely and utterly dumbstruck by this revelation. Hermione looked away, again embarrassed by her behaviour. "You didn't have to do that, Hermione!"

"But - I didn't want to hurt you and I know I acted so childish, I've been so stupid -"

"You haven't! Well, you have, in avoiding me, but it's - it's fine, really Hermione it is! I just hope your date realises how lucky he is," he added, causing Hermione's arms to once again fly around him in a tight hug. The book he'd been holding struck him hard in his ribs as he groaned in pain. "Honestly woman, give a fellow heads up before assaulting them!"

"Where's the fun in that?" she teased him. _Hermione, teasing_? These were confusing times indeed.

They sat on the couch for a while, before Hermione took out a book from her bag and asked William to turn it into the book he was reading. With a quick "Muto Liberus", it transformed into the guide on Animagi. It was the first spell William had taught Hermione to perform, he remembered. Deadly useful for when one forgot to bring a specific book to class. They sat in silence, reading together as they had countless of times since that first spell all those years ago, wondering out loud once in a while, discussing finer points and debating what animal William would turn into. William jested that he might turn into a stag, as it was looking quite likely he'd have to go as one to the Ball, while Hermione insisted he'd become a dog as his Patronus indicated, also pointing out the many similarities between him and Sirius.

After a spectacularly failed attempt at turning into his Animagus form, which ended up with furs sprouting out of several orifices and refusing to stop growing (eventually only deterring after Hermione had frantically tried out eleven different types of spells once the hairs and become several feet long), the two of them decided to return to the Common Room before William accidentally turned himself into a carpet. The Fat Lady swung open her portrait to reveal Ron sitting huddled on the floor, hugging his knees while being cradled and comforted by Ginny, who herself was half-heartedly covering a smile as she looked up to see William and Hermione arrive.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "Is Ron alright?" Ron looked up at William and Hermione, a sort of green shade covering his horror-struck face.

"Why'd I do it?" he said with a wild tone to his voice. "I don't know what made me do it!"

"What did -" William began.

"He… just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the Ball with him," said Ginny, who looked as though she was fighting back a smile, but she kept patting Ron's arm sympathetically.

"He what?!" chorused William and Hermione, mouths gaping.

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped. "What was I playing at? There were people - all around - I've gone mad - everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the entrance hall - she was standing there talking to Diggory - and it sort of came over me - and I asked her!" Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable. "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then - I dunno - I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"She's part Veela," said Harry, who was sitting across the room. "You were right - her grandmother was one. It wasn't your fault, I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it - but she was wasting her time. He's going with Cho Chang."

Everyone turned to him.

"I asked her to go with me just now," Harry said. "She told me," he explained. Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling.

"Tough luck," said William, sitting down next to him, as Hermione leaned down to help Ginny comfort Ron. "But at least you asked someone. I still haven't, it's driving me mad this Ball thing."

"This is mad," said Ron. "We three are the only blokes left who haven't got anyone - well, except Neville. Hey - guess who he asked? Hermione!"

"What?" said Harry, as every head now turned to her.

"Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the colour coming back into his face as he started to laugh. "He told me after Potions! Said she's always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff - but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville… I mean, who would?" Hermione flew up from his side, shocked at his mean words.

"And how about you, Ron? Who are you going with now that all the good-looking ones are taken?" said Hermione, crossing her arms. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you."

But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light.

"Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl.…"

"Oh well spotted," she said with acid in her voice.

"Well - you can come with one of us!"

"No, I can't," snapped Hermione.

"Oh come on," he said "We need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has -"

"I can't come with you," said Hermione, now blushing. "Because I'm already going with someone." Everyone's head turned to William, who was holding up his hands and shaking his head to indicate that he was innocent in this.

"No, you're not!" said Ron, turning back to her. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

"Oh did I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ronald, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

Ron stared at her. Then he grinned again. Harry's, Ginny's, and William's heads were all entranced in following their verbal sparring match.

"Okay, okay, we know you're a girl," he said. "That do? Will you come now?"

"I've already told you!" Hermione said, getting quite annoyed now. "I'm going with someone else!" she finished, before storming off toward the girls' dormitories.

"She's lying," said Ron, watching her go.

"She's not," corrected Ginny.

"Who is it then?" Ron asked.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business," she answered. William was getting a bit annoyed. He had completely forgotten to ask Hermione who it was that had asked her, and would very much want to know. Ginny looked at him smiling, as if she could hear what he was thinking.

"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out. "This is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, Will and I'll just -"

"I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with… with Will," she said, standing up and looking straight at him. William felt Harry's and Ron's piercing gazes on him.

"You wha- I mean… yes, yes you are. We are, that is to say. If that's alright with -" William stuttered, looking nervously back and forth between a beaming Harry, and an utterly bewildered Ron.

"Whether my brother approves or not is irrelevant," Ginny said, holding out her hand to Will, while the wand in her other hand tapped once in the air towards the old radio in the corner of the Common Room. It sprung to life and started to play a slow and pleasant tune. "Up!" she commanded, as if William was the broom in their first Quidditch class. Not wanting to disappoint, and frankly quite bemused and impressed by Ginny's newfound confidence, he took her hand and led her around the room in a soft waltz - synchronising with the music as Ron sat frozen on the floor with his jaw beside him. Harry looked at them with a huge grin before spotting Lavender and Parvati walking past and rushing towards them in one last, desperate attempt to find dates for him and Ron.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Apology

**A.N.: Sketched a scene from this chapter (imgurcom/tVJreWw - add a period after "imgur").**

* * *

Christmas holidays were in full effect at Hogwarts, though one would not guess it by the amount of people in the school. Practically no student older than thirteen left for the break, and as both Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons were running around (well, the French were mostly huddled around hearths) one could be forgiven for thinking this might be the busiest time of the year. The Yule Ball was approaching. Harry Potter would be arriving with Parvati Patil, a fact that had reached most ears in school, making the girl quite happy as she for once was the centre of attention, attracting massive amounts of gossipping and speculation. Ron was to go with her twin sister, Ravenclaw Padma, while the mystery regarding Hermione Granger's date was an enigma whose answer still eluded William. He himself would of course be taking Ginny Weasley, earning himself a few rather nasty glares from both her twin brothers and Neville Longbottom. He was glad then that no one had been around that day of the First Task, when he and Ginny found themselves in an abandoned hallway.

Things between them had… escalated, ever since. It seemed the red haired third year took any opportunity to whisk William away from his friends in order to snog him in some deserted classroom or another. William wasn't one to complain, though he had to restrain himself and Ginny the many times when the two of them became a bit too passioned and carried away. On one such occasion, William found himself with his hands in far too wild places, before backing off to a wildly blushing Ginny. Once or twice, they were caught red-handed by teachers and some giggling first years, but to their great relief and luck, so far no one that mattered too much to them was the wiser regarding their secretive hobby.

"Sickle for your thoughts," Ginny said as the two of them were walking towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. They had just been in the library, snogging behind some bookshelves before Madam Pince caught them and chased them off with flying books.

"Oh, er - I was just thinking -"

"That's a first. You and Harry usually just do, and leave the thinking to Hermione, don't you?" she teased him.

"Funny, Weasley. Why didn't anyone ever tell me what a comedian you are?"

"Fred and George take all the credit, but I'm the mastermind behind their whole operation. So what were you thinking about?"

"Us, I suppose. As much as it pains me to admit it, I love what we're doing. And sneaking about is a bit of a laugh, but… eventually, someone's going to find out."

"Not unless you have a really decent memory charm up your sleeve."

"I'm serious, Gin!"

"Alright! We'll be more careful. But honestly, I don't see the point. They're all going to find out and -"

"And Ron'll kill me, right after Fred and George kill me, but before Hermione kills me, and, I think, after my dear mother kills me for snogging a blood traitor. Maybe I should ask old Voldy for tips on how to survive getting killed -"

"No one's killing you but me, Will," she said, chastely kissing his cheek.

"Banana Fritters," said William, opening the portrait to a crowded and rowdy Gryffindor Common Room. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were isolated in a huddle around a dark window, looking like they were reading something. Ginny smacked William on the arm before rushing off to her classmates, while William instead was approaching his three friends.

"… sounds exactly like Moody," whispered Harry, and tucked away the letter they were reading. "Constant vigilance! You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls.…"

"What I'd miss?" asked William, as the three of them jumped in fright.

"Will!" Hermione turned to him smiling. "Thank Merlin you're here. Please tell Harry -"

"And where exactly have you been, Garlant?" Ron eyed him suspiciously, crossing his arms. To his credit, Ron was more perceptive than he gave off at first glance. "Off with my little sister, again, were you?"

"Ronald! Will and Ginny are perfectly capable of -"

"She's my sister!"

"She's her own person, for goodness sake. Besides, we have bigger issues at hand," she turned to William. Ron opened his mouth to protest but was too slow for her. "Will, could you please explain to Harry that he needs to take another look at that egg! Sirius wrote and he says -"

"He's got ages!" snapped Ron. "I was going to suggest a game of chess, but I feel like a friendly little men's chat with Will is in order. Harry?" Ron indicated for them to step outside, while William mouthed "Sorry" to an annoyed Hermione.

"Yeah, alright," said Harry. Then, after seeing the look on Hermione's face, continued. "Come on, how am I supposed to concentrate with all this noise going on? I won't even be able to hear the egg over this lot."

Ron stamped out of the portrait hole, followed by Harry and William. Ginny shot a smug grin his way, while William was just hoping he'd survive the friendly little chat.

"Ah, here's Fred and George," Ron waved them over as the twins were ambling towards the Fat Lady. Great. More Weasleys.

"Well if it isn't the famous Casanova of Cambridge," said George.

"I'm not from -"

"The Romeo of Romance," added Fred.

"Bit redundant, don't you thi-"

"The Lover of Ladies."

"Uncharacteristically uncreative, George."

"The Womanizer of Weasleys," said Fred. William gave up.

"The Heartbreaker of… hearts?" tried Ron. Fred put an arm around his younger brother, shaking his head.

"Tut tut tut, little brother. Leave this to us," he said, and turned back to William. "William July Garlant,"

"My middle name's August," he corrected.

"Knew it was something flowery. Anyhow, we pardon you for your crimes, and deem you worthy of taking our little sister on… one date."

"But," said George.

"If you in any way behave _un_gentlemanly," said Fred.

"Or do anything _un_solicited,"

"Then we will be forced to do something _un_speakable,"

"And _un_do our previous arrangement,"

"And, we think, your life as well. Deal?" Fred held out a hand, grinning from ear to ear. Ron looked bewildered, while Harry was laughing at whatever face William was unconsciously making.

"Er - wait… could you repeat that?"

"By all means," began George. "William July -"

"Enough!" bellowed Ron apparently finding his voice. "You can't tell me you two honestly approve of this? Ginny's too young to go on dates! She's -" doing far more than going on dates, Ron. "She's…No! I won't have it! Back me up, Harry!"

"Honestly, mate, I think it's fine. Besides, isn't it better that she goes with someone we know and like rather than someone like… I dunno - Malfoy?"

"The man's got a point," nodded George.

"Or an unknown, like Hermione's got," said Harry. That appeared to have made Ron see sense, as his face visibly relaxed.

"I suppose… got a point… better Will, than…" Ron mumbled.

"Excellent!" exclaimed George.

"We have reached an understanding!" his twin chimed in.

"Now, if you gentlemen, and Ron, excuse us, we've got papers to sign,"

"And plans to make."

"Adieu, mes amis. Ron," and with that, the twins went into the portrait hole, leaving the three boys to themselves. Ron muttered something under his breath before joining his older brothers, while Harry grabbed William's robes as he made to follow.

"Wait just a second there, Romeo," he began. "Would you mind explaining to me what exactly happened between you and Hermione? I thought you two were… you know, a thing?" it was a fair question, William conceded, one he himself was wondering almost every time he saw Hermione. They had shared a kiss, and a fair few intimate moments besides, but then… nothing. Hermione didn't seemed too bothered after their talk in the Room of Requirement, but it still struck William as odd - first she likes him, then she doesn't? Just like that? Or maybe, she did like him, but was trying not to show it? Girls…

"Er - well, we weren't, as we said in Hogsmeade," William explained. Harry raised an eyebrow. "And it's not like me and Ginny are doing anything off-limits. It's just a dance, mate."

"Come on, Will. Ron might not've noticed, but Hermione picks up on stuff. You suddenly go missing every other minute, come back with red cheeks, hair as messy as mne, and…"

"And?" William asked, though not sure if he wanted to hear the continuation of that sentence. He was already feeling himself become redder by the second.

"Well, you smell of her when you come back. It's not exactly rocket science."

"What's rocket science?"

"The point I'm trying to make, is that Hermione might seem to be alright with everything, but that doesn't mean she is. I suspect she tries hiding it because she decided to go with someone else before you did, but… I just thought you ought to know. Also, if you hurt Ginny - well, you heard Fred and George," he said, smiling at him before clapping him on the shoulder to return to the Common Room.

William felt a twinge of guilt from the centre of his stomach as he made his way up to the dormitories. Of course his best friends would notice something was going on between him and Ginny… And of course it would affect Hermione, despite her attempts at suppressing it. Perhaps he'd try to make it up to her somehow… it wasn't as if he could undo everything he and Ginny had done (unless Hermione had one of those Time-Turners lying around), and he was sure he wouldn't even if he could. He liked Ginny. He loved spending time with her. But Harry had made his point all too well - William needed to do something.

Harry, Ron and Hermione went to breakfast the next morning without William. He'd made up his mind on what to do during the previous night, and had conjured up a large and empty banner before running off into the kitchens (borrowing Harry's cloak) - managing to earn the services of a young house-elf called Bibsy, while Dobby helped William in convincing her to accept pay for her aid. After staying up in the Room of Requirement almost all night working on their masterpiece, he returned to an empty Common Room early next morning, taking a quick nap one of the round sofas. He had transfigured the now painted and banner into a small piece of paper - a timed spell which would undo itself in some hours and regrow the paper back into its original form. Now he just needed everyone to clear off so that he could carry what he and Bibsy made into the girl's dorm. Carefully counting off every girl leaving their dormitory, he finally sprang his plan into action. He grabbed a bit of Floo Powder, called for Grimmauld Place, and shouted for Harry's godfather to enter the frame. Instead, the scarred and pale face of William's favourite Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher popped by - Remus Lupin.

"William? Is something wrong? Sirius is upstairs with Buckbeak, I'm afraid. It'll take more than a moment -"

"No, nothing's wrong, Professor. It's just… Well, I had a plan - have a plan, and -"

"It involves something reckless, ill-advised, and no doubt foolish?" Lupin smiled. "I ought to force Sirius to get a paternity test… you remind me so much of him," he said, with a sentimental tone. "Unfortunately, your potential father is otherwise tied up. Perhaps I can be of use? You of course know that I was a Marauder as well, do you not?" William did know that, but he hardly thought Lupin would approve of his plan, and especially not how he would go about executing it. But there was nothing to it. Desperate times.

"Alright, Professor. You've won me over. How do I get into the girl's dormitory without setting off the alarms and turning the stairs into slides?" William asked, preparing for the inevitable scolding he'd receive by closing his eyes. None came, and as his eyes opened, he saw that the man was actually grinning. "Is it that stupid, then?"

"Do you know," he began, still smiling. "James and Sirius once came to me with that very same question. Granted, we were a year above you, and had just discovered that girls weren't as revolting as we had once thought. Being a year younger, I expect your inquiry is based on noble intentions?" he eyed William suspiciously, and William nodded. "Good! Because you'll be happy to know that we did find a way!"

"You're joking!?" William's jaw dropped. Once Lupin didn't yell at him for the idea, he had dared to hope that maybe he would get a tip or a pointer in the general direction that might lead to him finding a solution. But this? It was too good to be true!

"It is indeed not a joke. And, as I'm no longer your teacher, I feel no guilt in sharing this with you," he said. William's whole being was bursting with impatience. "All you have to do, is transform into an animal."

"Er - what?"

"Transform into an animal."

"But… I can't do that!"

"Can't you? Oh, well then that complicates things, I'm afraid," he said, still smiling. "James and Sirius could, you see, and -"

"I've tried! The fireplace nearly burned me up, I was sprouting furs so fast!" Lupin chuckled. "Don't laugh! This is a serious matter!"

"A _Sirius_ matter, I believe. He's the Animagus, he could most likely teach you. Unless… I suppose a Polyjuice Potion could do it, as well… But they are very time consuming, and, given the apparent urgency, I expect this is something you wish to accomplish sooner rather than later?" William nodded. Lupin sat down on a chair, seeming to be deep in thought. "Hmm… Sirius did once say he once managed to turn into his much more pleasant form by accident, and found it helped him greatly when he wanted to do it properly. It was a… a transfiguration spell, I believe, gone a bit wrong. Depending on how daring you feel, we could try for it? I'll of course have turn you back from the fireplace - would that work?" he asked. William could kiss his old teacher, were it not for the fact that the whole reason he was in this mess was that he'd already kissed too many people.

"Brilliant, Professor! Alright, so how do we do this?"

"Take out your wand, William. Stand broad shouldered, and clear your throat. Then, close your eyes, tap yourself on the head, and say: Roseus Maxima," instructed Lupin, as if they were back in the classroom last year, during one of their one-on-one lessons. William mouthed the spell, before following his given instructions.

"Roseus Maxima!" he said, tapping himself on the head. Nothing happened. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Lupin laughed something outrageously, a bark-like laughter he'd never heard from his old teacher before. "What? WHAT?!" William desperately demanded, looking all over himself for whatever had gone wrong. Then, he saw it. The skin on his hands was bright, screaming pink! Even the hair on his arms, and… he was rolling up his robes… It was pink everywhere! That damned, damned old Professor of his. He'd get him back for this, he could swear it. He yelled something so foul into the fireplace that Lupin began saying "Fifteen points -", before remembering he no longer had the authority to take points, and then laughed again. This time, William was joining him.

"William," he finally said, after having to wipe away tears of joy. "I can turn you into an animal, it's no problem. You will have to forgive me for wanting to play a little prank on you,"

"I don't have to do anything!"

"It's been too long since I could," he continued, as if he hadn't heard him. "And you do remind me so of a young Sirius. Therefore, I shall turn you into a dog. A very pink dog, mind you. Then you'll do what you have to do, before coming back here, where I'll be ready to turn you back in an instant."

"And return me to my normal skin tone!?" William demanded. "I have the Yule Ball coming up today!"

"And you're absolutely positive you don't want to introduce a new fashion?" he asked sarcastically. William crossed his arms, hoping his bright colour didn't ruin the furious look he was attempting to give his old Professor. "Then I give you my word as a Marauder, I shall restore you to your normalness. Here we go - are you ready, Will?"

William nodded, Lupin tapped his wand, and then… he was on all fours.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Dance

He'd done it. It took all his energy, several hours, but by Merlin's beard he did it. Now all that was left was to wait patiently until Hermione returned to her dorm to discover what he'd left her - given he hadn't overdone the timing part of the spell… By the time the rest of the boys returned to their dormitory, William had to be shaken to awake from a deep slumber. He'd dreamed of something pink and fluffy being chased by a brown little otter on a green meadow. It had been quite pleasant actually, until he and the otter were rudely interrupted by the red-haired form of Ron Weasley.

"How are you still sleeping, mate?" he asked, as William stirred awake yawning. Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were getting dressed for the Ball, while Ron was still holding his horrible dress robes, most likely wanting to postpone putting them on for as long as possible. Perhaps William could help him fix that dreadful thing… it would certainly go a long way in placating Ron's foul mood with him. Then again…

"Ginny kept me up," he smiled, before wincing when receiving a hard blow to his arm and a "_Git"_ as he went up to put on his robes. There was no dinner to be served in the Great Hall that evening as the Ball would include a feast, so William's growling stomach would have to wait until after the opening dance.

Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus all looked reasonably content with their clothes. William, who was used to wearing fancy apparel for his many boring family dinners, wasn't that bothered. The opposite could be said for Ron, who surveyed himself in the tall mirror by the corner with a sickly greenish colour spreading across his face. It was as apparent to the boys there as it surely would be to everyone at the feast - his robes looked more like a girl's dress than anything else. Ron tried desperately to make them look more manly, using a Severing Charm on the ruff and cuffs. To his credit, it worked fairly well, though there were now loose edges and stray threads all over it. Finally accepting that Ron had suffered enough, William decided to step in.

"Mate, you're butchering it. Here," he said, as Ron turned to him, breathing out a huge sigh of relief. "What colour do you want it?"

"Colour!?" said Ron, almost taken aback. "I just want the bloody thing to look like yours does… any of yours!" he said pointing towards the rest of the boys' robes.

"Right, hold still. _Emulo Vestis_," William tapped his wand on Ron's robes, and with a swish, they turned into perfect replicas of his own - albeit a slightly taller size to fit the lanky boy. Ron turned back to the mirror, regaining some normal colour to his cheeks which reminded William far too much of what had happened to him not many hours ago.

"Blimey… That's impressive magic, Will!" said Dean. Neville nodded in agreement.

"Where'd you learn that?" the Irish accent of Seamus asked. "You'll run Madame Malkin's out of business, you will."

"You're a right life saver, you know that?" Ron said, grinning widely before dashing out of the dormitory, yelling Hermione's name repeatedly. Harry leaned in towards William as they watched their friend run off in glee.

"That spell's going to wear out, isn't it?" he asked, quietly.

"Just… make sure no one sees him in about an hour, an hour thirty. I'll fix it again, if I'm sober enough. Otherwise, I'll accidentally turn it transparent, and… well, I'm not really ready to see if the carpet matches the drapes just yet," said Will, putting on a disgusted look. Harry chuckled.

The boys set off for downstairs where their girls would be waiting, no doubt all eager to take their first steps as dates for the night. It was a rather strange sight, entering the Common Room. People were wearing all kinds of different colours, instead of the usual mass of black that decorated the halls of the school. Hermione wasn't there, with Ron instead holding the arm of a very interested looking Padma, who William remembered had never seen the Gryffindor Common Room before. And then… Ginny was standing by the fire, wearing a slender deep blue dress - perfectly complementing her wild flaming hair. It widened from her waist down, while her arms and back were bare and cleavage appropriately high. She was absolutely beautiful. Not being able to muster any strength to pull away his gaze from her - he still felt the stares of many others on her, making him want to kick every boy (and some girls) in the room who did so with the same hungry look he most likely shared. He was approaching her with, what were to him, quite unfamiliar nervous steps, holding out a hand as he reached her. She smiled at him, causing his insides to melt and his mind go completely blank.

"Hi," he finally managed.

"Hi yourself. You look nice," she said, before William had composed himself to say anything else.

"Oh, _er _\- you look… well, wow," he stuttered.

"Thanks," she giggled. A couple of girls nearby snickered too, though William could not tell who as he was still staring at his date for the night, positively enchanted. "Shall we?" she took William's hand, and after a few moments, they were walking down the many stairs to reach the Entrance Hall.

"Where's Hermione?" asked Ron as they walked. Parvati, who walked arm in arm with Harry, simply shrugged, while Padma looked to William as if he'd know anything more about the mystery that was Hermione's date.

The Entrance Hall was just as packed with people as their Common Room had been. Students from every House were wandering around looking for their respective partners, waiting impatiently for the doors to the feast to open at eight o'clock. Ron hid behind Harry when Beauxbaton's Triwizard champion Fleur Delacour walked by with her date, Ravenclaw Quidditch captain Roger Davies. They spent some time looking around for Hermione, wondering and speculating where in the world she was. William was starting to get a bit worried that she'd actually bailed on the whole Ball - that maybe she hadn't been asked for a date - or worse, had been stood up. If that were the case, he'd have more than just words with whoever it was who hurt her.

Slytherins emerged from their dungeons led by Draco Malfoy and his eminently hovering, constantly smug-faced partner Pansy Parkinson. She wore what William admitted was a decent dress, were it not for the fact that is was the exact shade of pink his skin had been not many hours ago. Crabbe and Goyle arrived by themselves, a fact that was really pleasing William, Harry, and Ron to no end.

Everyone in the hall turned to see the Durmstrang's enter from the front oak doors, with their headmaster (and Death Eater) Igor Karkaroff. Krum was in front, walking with a pretty girl in a blue dress who William thought was vaguely familiar. Behind the entering Durmstrangs, an area of the lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights - meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rosebushes that had been conjured there, fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.

McGonagall then called the champions forward, and a rather uncomfortable looking Harry walked on with a beaming Parvati at his side. Cedric and Cho, Fleur and Roger, and Krum and… William did a double take. Krum and _Hermione_!? But it didn't really look like Hermione… She'd done something - some sort of spell or charm to change her appearance… She must have! Not that William ever thought she'd been anything other than pleasing to look at, but now… She looked positively gorgeous. Her hair was no longer bushy, but a shiny, intricately set up knot at the back of her head. Her dress was a pale blue, and her light make up looked really well on her. There was also something different with how she walked, and even smiled. Or maybe it was the absence of twenty or so books over her shoulder, or that she actually looked to be relaxed instead of her usual tense disposition… It was reminding him a lot of their time in the broom closet, where she really seemed to enjoy herself. And now she was with bloody _Krum_!? Ron, and half of the Hogwarts population, seemed to share William's every thought on the matter, as most jaws could probably only be found if one looked quite closely on the marble floor.

"She looks great!" said Ginny, a genuine smile on her.

"Yeah. She does," agreed William, still watching Hermione.

"Oi!" Ginny teased him, poking him in the ribs. "Don't forget the lady on your arm."

"How could I possibly forget this charming young lady, when all she does is pinch poke and punch me?" he smiled. With a quick look around, Ginny pecked him on the cheek, leaving a soft tingle that spread across the boy's face. "Careful, Gin! Ron's right -" but Ron was hardly looking at them. He was staring at Hermione and Krum with daggers in his eyes. William and Ginny could probably have a full on snogging fest in the middle of the room and he wouldn't have noticed. Come to think of it, that wasn't the worst idea…

As the champions walked into the hall, the rest of the people shortly followed. Ginny held William's hand tightly, excitement gripping them both. The Triwizard judges sat at a large round table at the top of the Hall, though there seemed to be someone missing from their midst. The champions made their way towards them, while the rest settled into the hundreds of smaller, candle-lit tables that had replaced the long House tables that usually decorated the room. The students and the judges clapped enthusiastically as the champions walked to their table. That's when William saw it. The judges weren't one man short - they had replaced perhaps their most prominent member after Dumbledore, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, by none other than Percy Weasley, who was sitting there with such a smugness that William thought he ought to be imprisoned.

"Something wrong?" asked Ginny as the champions had sat down.

"Nothing," lied William, through gritted teeth. He hadn't forgotten the countless times Percy had been a right pain in his backside through the years. Not least for tattling to every teacher in sight at any transgression of the rules no matter how minor, leading to more than a dozen detentions all over the castle.

Seated with William and Ginny were Ron, Padma, Seamus, Dean, and Neville, fellow fourth years Slytherin Daphne Greengrass, Hufflepuffs Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Ernie Macmillan, and two girls William didn't know who were in Ginny's year. One of them, who sat right next to Ginny and him, had dirty blond hair in a pretty long braid, with a sort of dreamy and surprised look in her eyes, seeming almost faintly distracted and barely interested in the whole Yule Ball-affair.

"This is Luna Lovegood. She's in the same year as me, but in Ravenclaw. Luna, this is -" began Ginny.

"William Garlant, of course," she said, her tone equally as dreamy as her eyes. "I saw him with Harry Potter on my first journey to Hogwarts. He's still got the same Skintails on his lips," she said, thoroughly confusing the rest of the table (save Ron, who still stared at the champion's table while Padma looked quite sulky). "Skintails are little creatures that steal food from our mouths. They're quite nice actually, William's. They often look rather nasty, if I may say so without offending anyone. Hey, Ginny, you have the very same Skintails on your -"

"_And this_," Ginny interrupted the strange girl before she could continue. William couldn't help but smile. He could see why Ginny liked hanging out with Luna, despite them being in separate Houses and Luna's rather odd behaviour. "Is Olivia Greengrass, she's Daphne's younger sister," she finished, indicating towards a quite pretty, black-haired girl sitting next to her older sibling. They looked almost identical in their straight hair and dark green dresses, even sharing the same bored look. William was hoping though that Olivia didn't share her sister's opinion of him, as they had had a rather public falling out during last year.

"Pleasure," said William, shaking her hand, receiving a slight smile as he did so.

The rest of the table entered loud discussions as they noticed small menus were lying in front of them. Daphne Greengrass, who had an aura of being used to similar occasions, loudly pronounced "_Roast beef_", and an appetising plate of said meal appeared in front of her. Everyone followed suit, except, to William's unimaginable surprise, Ron. He'd never been one to miss out on a meal. Then again, he seemed more than a bit preoccupied, still watching Hermione and Krum as they were in deep discussion. His face was red, redder than usual, and it looked like he would smash his glass every time he picked it up to have a sip. William turned to Ginny, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "We need to do something about Ron," he said in the lowest voice he could. "He hasn't said a word to Padma, and he's ogling Krum as if he's standing between him and his meal. And we know how Ron gets when he hasn't eaten," he continued. Ginny giggled, though whether it was because of the joke or William's whispers that seemed to tickle her ear, he couldn't tell. She nevertheless nodded her agreement.

"Ron," she said. No reaction came. "Ron!" she almost shouted.

"What!?" he finally dragged his gaze towards his own table. "When did the food arrive?" he asked. Then he turned his attention back to the champion's table. Padma rolled her eyes. Ginny shrugged. William shook his head in defeat.

"So, Daphne," William instead tried, getting the attention of the Slytherin girl he hadn't talked to in about a year's time. They had been reasonably close at one point, after all, sharing detentions with Snape many times during second year. Maybe they _could_ reconnect at some point. "How's school going?"

"Fine," she shrugged. "Snape's not given me any detention yet," she said, obviously thinking back to the same period of time as William. "Spotted you leaving the dungeon reeking of rotten stuff plenty of times. How many _Trolls_ has he given you this year?" she smiled, mockingly.

"Just a fair twenty, or so. Potions always was a _Slytherin's_ subject."

"And we all know how you feel about _Slytherins_," she retorted. "Despite your family history." Thatgirl always knew which buttons to push… He opened his mouth to respond, but -

"I actually rather enjoy Professor Snape's class," interjected Ernie Macmillan right on time. "It's not _that _hard, you only have to follow the instructions on the board and -"

"But how are you supposed to follow the instructions with all the smoke and noise and Snape's constant harassment?" asked Dean, with Neville nodding fervently beside him. "It's a damn nightmare, working down there."

"He can be quite mean," agreed Luna.

"At least he's no Hooch," said Ginny. "One word and then, what, she disappears? She barely talks and just minds her own business, refusing to teach us anything, never mind showing us how to play Quidditch," there were several murmurs of agreement. William never really fancied flying, so he didn't mind that those classes had more or less gone astray. But he did feel for Ginny, who loved playing and desperately wanted to become good enough to play Chaser for Gryffindor. She had many times complained about the cancelling of the Quidditch Cup during the Triwizard Tournament, claiming it was unfair and unnecessary. William was inclined to agree, especially as she often followed up her criticism with some more snogging, which did nothing but urge him to acknowledge the validity of her arguments further.

"And don't get me started on -" began Seamus, as the rest of the table were now heatedly debating their classes.

When all the food had been eaten, and many and more drinks had been served and consumed, Dumbledore stood up from his seat and asked the rest of the Hall to do the same. With a wave of his wand, he cleared the floor from tables, before conjuring up a raised platform along the right wall. A set of drums, guitars, a lute, a cello, some bagpipes, and several other instruments William did not recognise, were also popped into existence onto the platform. The band called The Weird Sisters took to the stage to wild cheers and applause, picking up their instruments in their black robes and started playing a slow, mournful tune. Harry stumbled as he walked onto the brightly lit floor with his partner Parvati, while William was kicking Seamus and Dean for sniggering at his clumsiness and apparent nervousness. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, William reckoned. Parvati was steering him quite forcefully, it seemed, and before long more people had joined the dance floor. A smiling Ginny grabbed William's hand and together they made their way right next to Hermione and Krum, Ginny's mesmerising hair bouncing wildly behind her as they ran. Careful not to do anything silly in front of half the Weasley family, William was chastely putting his hand firmly above Ginny's waist and began the slow dance. It was… intimate. They were standing so tantalisingly close that William could tell exactly what kind of sweet perfume Ginny was wearing, drawing him in even closer - to the brink of him barely being able to stop himself from kissing her as they slowly swayed around. Ginny grinned as if she saw the struggle on his face. Her piercing brown eyes looked up at him with that blazing passion they usually reserved for hers and William's moments alone, moments they thought had been secret. Ginny bit her lip as if she, much like William, was ruing that they were currently surrounded by people, before she leaned in against his chest.

"I can feel your heartbeat," she said. "Good to know it still works, right?"

"Good to know it's restarted after I saw you," said William, smiling over her. She gripped him even tighter.

Looking around almost desperately for some way to be distracted before he did something stupid, William found Mad-Eye Moody doing a weird sort of dance with Professor Sinistra, who carefully stepped around trying to avoid his wooden leg. Dumbledore was waltzing with Madame Maxime, so dwarfed by her that his hat barely reached her chin. Harry and Parvati looked quite stiff, especially Harry, who himself kept glancing over at Cedric and Cho, though Parvati didn't seem to mind. Hermione and Krum, on the other hand, were rather intimate themselves, it seemed. William's friend was blushing and giggling wildly, especially every time Krum seemed to whisper something in her ear. Happy that he didn't feel anything close to jealousy at the sight, which he thought he might've and maybe even should have, he turned back his attention to the beautiful girl in front of him, who still had her head tucked cosily below his. Perhaps Ginny was the reason he didn't feel any envy at the sight of them together. He hadn't really given any time to think about his feelings for the girl. He knew he liked her, of course, but… was something else, something more possibly blossoming after all their time together?

As the song died, interrupting William's pondering, the judges and a few stray people went to their seats, while the rest of the people ran to get as close to the stage as possible. The Wicked Sisters had started on a more fast paced tune, appealing to a different kind of dancing. William was preparing to follow suit, when he again felt the tug of Ginny's hand on his. Before he knew it, they were dashing past their table, where Ron and Harry sat, with Padma sitting a bit away from Ron with her arms and legs crossed, one foot jiggling in time to the music. Ron looked beyond miserable, while Harry looked to be trying to cheer him up, a bottle of Butterbeer in his hand. William didn't have time to say anything, and the two of them didn't seem to notice William and Ginny as they ran past.

They exited the Great and Entrance Halls before reaching a dimly lit part of a shrubbery, where Ginny stopped and turned abruptly to William. She stood on her toes, leaned in, and kissed him passionately, as the pain of the cold December air magically vanished from William, being replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling that washed over him gently. It took only a moment for him to press his lips back onto hers, and they stumbled backwards into the hedges before tumbling onto a heap of snow and bushes, laughing as they kept their lips no more than a few inches away from each other. Ginny's hands ran through the insides of William's robes and his hair, while William was feeling and grabbing every part of her that he could. The whole world seemed to disappear around them. How long they spent in their bubble of bliss, William could not tell. Suddenly, they were forced apart by an invisible barrier pushing them from each other. William made for his wand, but before he could look around at the culprit -

"Twenty points from Gryffindor! _Each_!" spat Snape, before he rushed off to another part of the grounds, most likely to ruin someone else's bit of fun as well.

The cold made itself known again as the snow penetrated his dress robes while he sat looking at Ginny, who herself was failing to suppress a very blushing grin. He offered her his hand, and they made their way back into the Great Hall.

* * *

**A.N.: Did some sketches! Album here: ****imgurcom/a/vygHCbV - add a period after "imgur". I'm still pretty bad at drawing -.-' I'd love some feedback on them, though! And the chapters, if you'd like! **


	11. Chapter 11 - The Twist

Dancing, drinking, kissing, laughing… the night continued into a blur of all the things William had been looking forward to the most. A flash of red hair, a fleeting freckled smile, a flowery scent that still laid over him like a blanket… and then a row between a pretty brown-haired girl and a ginger boy about… something or other. Was it really that important? _No_, William decided. So far, the Yule Ball had been all that he hoped it would be and more, even down to the loss of Gryffindor-points at the hands of Snape. After all, no good time in the castle could be had without that miserable old bat biting of a few hard earned points simply because he was… well, _a miserable old bat_. It was to be expected - demanded even, as proof that what you had done had been a good thing. And Ginny _did _have a good time, he knew. She didn't quite have as many Butterbeers as William and Harry had shared, but she wasn't any less giggly for it. Ron, on the other hand, had left the Great Hall at least an hour or so past - William had lost all sense of time a few drinks ago he reckoned. Hermione hadn't been seen for some time either - probably not since Harry had said something about her and Ron having a row. It was all William could do to drag Harry away from them and force him to enjoy the occasion rather than let their friend's foul moods ruin his as well.

By the time the Weird Sister's tune had once again started to turn into a slower harmony, encouraging the many remaining students to huddle closer with their partners, William and Harry were sitting at a table along the wall, chatting, drinking, and leaving an ever growing pile of Butterbeer bottles around them. Ginny had tried dragging William to the dance floor again, but the many sweet and bubbly drinks had made any rocking movement, however slow, a risk upon itself. Eventually she had relented, sticking out a rebellious tongue at him when she grabbed Luna Lovegood and went off dancing with their girlfriends instead. William found himself laughing at the blond Ravenclaw and the red haired Gryffindor when they were intimately embraced as they swayed to the slow tune.

"You ought to be worried," said Harry, smiling as he nodded towards the two girls dancing. "Reckon Luna's looking to steal her away from you."

"_I _should be worried? Go on then, where's your date?" William teased. "I'd wager she's off with some pretty French lad if I was a betting man. Which I am, come to think of it. A Galleon - you game?"

"Make it two. And another two if Luna and Ginny end up snogging."

"Hah!" William clinked his bottle against Harry's. "Though, now that you mention it, they _do _look very intimate, don't they?" Harry chuckled. "I expect I'll have to duel with Luna for Ginny's hand, by the look of it."

"Can't be helped," shrugged Harry.

"Dreadful thing," added William.

"So," said Harry after the two of them had taken another sip from their bottles. "Off to Garlant Manor tomorrow?" he asked, with a bit less trepidation than his normal, more sober self usually had whenever he asked about William's home. Unfortunately, he was off to Garlant Manor tomorrow. William was always expected to return to his ancestral home during the Christmas Holidays, and this year was no different. There'd be a grandly appalling dinner with other Pureblood families to look forward to, a terrifically harrowing midterm catchup with his dear mother, and - if he was very lucky indeed - some depressingly heart_coldening_ words from his brother. All in all, a great time was to be had.

"Yep," was all he could muster to say.

They took another couple of swigs in silence, their eyes still fixed on the dancing couples. In what William was sure was an effort to cheer up him, Harry spotted Fred and George huddled around Lee Jordan in a corner and waved his wand subtly in their direction. William spat out a large portion of his drink as he saw Fred's dress robes turn bright pink without Fred himself noticing it. George was reeling with laughter, while Lee filled in Fred on what happened after letting him get very confused by his twin's sudden outburst in a short blissful ignorance. It seemed that Harry and Professor Lupin shared some sense of humour, though Fred did not look one bit amused as he and his twin marched towards them.

"Brace yourself," William warned.

"Once more unto the breach," said Harry. George was still laughing merrily, and even Fred looked like he was struggling to keep a smile off his face as they approached them with determined strides.

"Oi! Potter!" said the pink-clad Weasley, stopping only inches short of running into the seated Harry. He stood towering over the still mischievously grinning boy

"Fred, George," said Harry, cool as you like. "What can we help you fine gentlemen with?"

"You know ruddy well _what_!"

"Ah," said Harry, nodding as if he understood something that had been unsaid. "Advise on asking girls for a dance, is it?" he said, leaving Fred utterly bewildered and even George a bit taken aback. It seemed the boy grew bolder and bolder with every swig of Butterbeer - and William was finally beginning to understand where he was going with this. He wasn't going to let his friend have all the fun.

"Quite so, old chap," added William. "It seems the Weasley twins have - what is that old saying - ah, _struck out_."

"Indeed," said Harry with a convincing but feigned solemn nod.

"Not to worry, dear fellows. We'll be glad to share our infinite wisdom regarding the fairer sex."

"Though, we should not let the poor boys get their hopes up," warned Harry.

"Quite right again! Some things simply can not be taught," agreed William.

"Natural instincts."

"Raw magnetism."

"Feral charms."

"Oi!" Fred snapped William and Harry back to reality. William had almost forgotten the twins were there, he and Harry had turned facing each other in their half-drunken harassment of the twins. "Enough of that!"

"That's _our _thing," said George warningly, though he was still grinning as he said it. "Besides, you two are sitting here looking just as pathetic as my twin in his dashingly pink robes."

"I'm not pathetic!" Fred retorted.

"Could have fooled me," shrugged George as he sat down next to William and grabbed a bottle from the table, getting an appreciative nod from William and Harry as he did so.

"Right, you three think you're so clever," said Fred, crossing his arms. "I smell a wager! I end up landing a French bird wearing _this_," he said, indicating to his still pink clothes. "And you three owe me a lifetime supply of Ogden's finest Firewhiskey."

"Done," said Harry, shaking his hand.

"Splendid!" answered Fred, his mood now completely shifted as he sped off towards the dancing crowd.

"Speaking of being done," said George as he turned to William. It was a bit odd seeing the twins separated, though his currently buzzed condition was paying little mind to that and more to the pretty red haired girl George was indicating towards. Ginny was still dancing merrily with Luna, bringing a content smile on William's lips. "Looks like she prefers blonds now. Tough luck, mate," he said, clapping him on the shoulder.

It was nice, seeing her have fun apart from him. It was probably one of the best aspects of Ginny, her ability enjoy herself without any shame or worry of what anyone around her thought. William had been wondering what had brought on the recent and quite sudden change in her; for the longest time she'd been quite shy and quiet around them - especially if Harry was near. He knew a part of him still worried about her feelings for the Boy-Who-Lived, but that part of him was more often than not silenced when her lips were upon William's, or even just when she looked at him with that look he knew was reserved only for him. And they were very young, after all. They didn't know how long his and Ginny's… _thing_, for lack of a better word, would last. He'd want to enjoy it as long as he could.

Astounded at the amount of coherent thoughts his rather drunken mind was able to string together, he made to grab another bottle when the shape of his friend Hermione Granger discreetly entered the Great Hall. It looked as if she had cried - not only were her eyes red and her makeup a bit blotched, as if she'd hastily tried to fix it, but her hair was also a bit of a mess now, almost back to its normal self. She was still beautiful. _Perhaps even more so_, a forbidden thought popped up in his mind. _Mustn't think that_… But it _was_ the truth - no matter how much she changed herself to appear more… _traditionally _attractive, William would always prefer Hermione at her most Hermione-est - bushy hair, little to no make up, the many books, the comfortable clothes - all of it. All of _her_. William's new bottle landed unopened back on the table as he was walking towards her.

"Oh, hi Will," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. "Enjoying yourself, I hope."

"_Er _\- right. Great laugh, this whole Ball thing. We ought to have one every week."

"Oh bugger this whole bloody _thing_," said Hermione, collapsing down to the floor, hands covering her face. "I just… for _once_, I'd like him to think about how _I _feel. To think about… to realise that what he says… that it hurts me." When her hands left her face, she looked more tired than anything else. As if she'd already cried enough for one day… It didn't take a genius to understand who she was talking about. "I'm - I'm sorry. I don't want to bring you down with me. Not tonight. You seemed - you and Ginny seemed so…" William didn't find out what he and Ginny seemed. He slid down against the wall to sit next to her, defying her wish of _bringing him down with her_, and gently laid his arm around his friend in an effort to console her. Not really knowing what to say, he accepted the silence stretched between them, hoping instead that his presence might at least somewhat help. The Weird Sisters were still playing ballads, and no one else in the Hall seemed to have noticed the two of them sitting by the entrance. Most students who drunkenly ambled out (more often than not in the arms of another student) were too preoccupied to even peek their way. He thought he spotted Daphne Greengrass exiting alone, casting a sideways glance at them before hastily leaving.

"Hey, Hermione," William began in an effort to take her mind off of Ron Weasley. She looked up at him. Her hazel eyes shone brightly as they reflected the fluttery candles ahead. They were beautiful and deep as ever, even in their somewhat bloodshot state. Forcing himself to press on now equally just as much to distract himself, he continued. "You were at the judges table - did you notice that Mr. Crouch was absent tonight?"

"What? Oh," she said, seemingly a bit taken aback by William's choice of topic. "Yes, I suppose. Percy was covering for him, he said. He'd been unwell, I think."

"Unwell?"

"Yes. _Ill for several weeks - months_, he said," she wiped her damp eyes again, though they now seemed a bit more focused on what William had brought up. Hermione could always be trusted to approach every subject with utmost sincerity. "Apparently, he's been receiving orders from him through post. Percy, that is."

"That's…" said William, not really sure what to say. _A cause for concern_? Was it? From what William knew about the man, which admittedly wasn't much - he'd only met him a handful of times during those appalling dinners his family occasionally held - he'd never imagine Mr. Crouch to be skiving his duties… It was suspicious… And they _had _been looking for someone who might have been connected to the whole Harry-Potter's-name-in-the-Goblet fiasco, perhaps this was a lead they couldn't afford not to follow up on? "…isn't that odd?" William finished. Hermione regarded him with some matter of curiosity judging by the furrowing of her brows.

"How so?"

"It's just… I could swear I saw him on the Map, not too long ago." he asked, knowing full well the answer. Hermione suddenly seemed a little embarrassed - her cheeks flushed and it appeared as if she was looking slightly below William's eyes instead of meeting them. He pressed on, a bit confused by her demeanour. "And I'm sure I've seen him on it since, more often than not in Professor Moody's office with the Professor."

"We did, don't you remember?" she answered, now pointedly avoiding William's gaze. _Why_? What about them seeing Mr. Crouch made her so uncomfortable? "Back when…" her voice trailed off.

_Oh_. Of course. William mentally face-palmed himself as his eyes were widening in comprehension. They day they'd spotted Mr. Crouch on the Map was the day of their _moment_ in the broom closet - a singularly intimate and unequivocally confusing moment.

"Are you still leaving after the Ball?" she asked. Grateful that she switched the subject, he squeezed her shoulders and nodded his answer. Her smile in response gave him a surprising tingle of joy in the pit of his stomach. Or was that the after effects of all the Butterbeer he'd drank? "That's a shame. I was hoping they'd let you stay this year."

"Really? Why? She never lets me stay. Even the might of the whole Ministry wouldn't be able to convince that woman."

"You just haven't tried enough," said Hermione, folding her arms. William's brows lifted in surprise. "I reckon I'd be able to do it. I'd keep hexing that vile woman until she relented and gave me back my William," she said, squinting her eyes at an imagined enemy and mimicking evil spells towards her. William couldn't hold back a barking laugh.

"Hermione, you're a - you're Muggleborn! If you said the sky was blue she'd die claiming it's green!" he said. Hermione looked up at him with that brilliantly full smile of hers, the one that reached her eyes and utterly radiated joy. "_Here lies Audelia Garlant, strong of will, pure of blood. She was tragically killed by her efforts to turn the sky green. Why this brilliant witch, this paragon of our noble ancestry, took it upon herself to accomplish this pointless endeavour, we shall never know. To Audelia_!" said William, mockingly parodying a eulogy he'd once heard of some distant family member. Hermione giggled and leaned the top of her head against his cheek. "Come _on_, Granger. You know she'd never let me spend a minute more than necessary doing something I actually enjoy. Why'd you hope she'd let me stay this year?"

"I - I don't know… Well, the Weasley's are leaving, I think," she said, though it sounded more like a weak excuse to cover for something she didn't want to say. She was still leaning on him, her already again quite bushy hair all over his face. Deciding not to press her on it, he let her continue. But she didn't. Instead, she seemed to want to ignore what she'd said. "Anyway," she angled herself off and finally met William's gaze again. "Why aren't you on the dance floor with your date?"

"Ah, well, it seems my date has up and left me for a better candidate," William answered, pointing to Ginny and Luna. Hermione chuckled, bringing a smile to William's lips as well. "And I think I've had my fill with dancing for tonight. For every other night as well, most like."

"That's a shame. I liked watching you strut about," she teasingly elbowed his ribs.

"I do not _strut about_!"

"No?" she grinned at William with apparent delight at the rise she was getting out of him.

"No! If anything, I gracefully sway around in an intense, near sensual way. You'd be lucky to share a dance with me."

"Hah!" she gave a fake laugh. "Don't flatter yourself, Will. You strut about."

"Prat!" William retorted, pulling his arm off from around her.

"Prove it," she challenged him, her eyes staring straight into his with a mischievous glint that'd make Harry (and probably even Sirius) quite proud. She held out a hand, and it took only a moment for William's sobering mind to comprehend what she'd meant. Grabbing her hand and dashing off into the crowd of dancers with Hermione giggling behind him, they drew the attention of some curious onlookers - not least Ginny and Luna, who William was glad to find seemed rather amused by their arrival together. William and Hermione stopped right next to the pair as the Weird Sisters began another mournful tune, inviting one more round of slow dancing. Hermione, evidently emboldened by a couple of drinks and perhaps the occasion itself, slid in quite close to William as they began their _strutting about_. Sensing more than seeing the eyes that fell upon them, not least those of Daphne Greengrass (_hadn't she left_?), their movements were a bit stilted before loosening up.

"Psst!" whispered Ginny to William. "Seems like we've both moved on to better things then, haven't we?" she grinned, throwing quick glance at Hermione and then Luna.

"Couldn't be helped, I suppose. Never much cared for gingers," he teased right back at her. Hermione's giggle prompted a weird sensation as she exhaled a warm breath right into his ear and neck as they swayed around. His hair stood suddenly on end along his spine, and his body stiffened involuntarily. He was wondering whether Hermione noticed his muscles tensing all of a sudden when she quickly squeezed their embrace even tighter, as if to say _I felt that. _He made a mental note not to make her laugh again while they were dancing - it was flirting far too close to dangerous territory.

"Never cared much for silly gits, myself," said Ginny, still smiling. "Can't recommend snogging that one, Hermione. He's right awful at it. Too much tongue, gets all handsy. Luna's much more preferable," she mocked. Luna, to her credit, played along and looked at Ginny dreamily as she spoke, nodding earnestly to everything she said. Hermione simply laughed even more, this time though she leaned back a bit, which William was ever thankful for. "She just gets us girls, you know?"

Someone nearby shushed them as their voices had started to rise, sending the four of them into fits of giggles as Ginny mouthed _Sorry _to the silent crowd around them. The dance floor had been appropriately quiet, given that the band was playing a slow and romantic ballad, until William and Hermione had arrived.

"Oh you're one to speak," William muttered at Ginny, not wanting to let her have the last word in their playful banter. "Luna, keep your mouth as far away from this slobbering puppy as you can. She's all over you, covers every inch of your face with drool. It's… well, it's rather disgusting, now that I think about it," William bit back. Ginny feigned insult with an open mouth, while Hermione hit him on his arm as way of defending her friend.

"Disgusting, am I?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Hold my Luna, Hermione. I think I'll have a chat with mister Better-Be-Sorry," she said, and Hermione was all too quick to let him go, instead turning to Luna as she was asked and led her towards Harry's and George's table, saying something about _leaving the lovebirds alone_ as she did so. Ginny took Hermione's place near William, who was smugly grinning at her as she entered his embrace. She however seemed to be fighting back a smile, looking (and failing) as if she'd wanted to appear angry with him. It seemed to be quite begrudgingly when her face lit up as they started their slow dance.

"Hi," he beamed at her.

"_Hi_, is it? Is that how you talk to disgusting gingers?"

"I wouldn't know. Never met one, you see."

"Oh nice try. You won't get away that easy."

"Figures."

"So? You were going to apologise?"

"I was?"

"You better," she smiled at him. "If you ever want to be on the receiving end of my _disgusting _snogs again, that is."

"In that case… no, I think I'm good, actually!"

"Fine! See if I care," she said, resting her head against his chest as the song carried on.

"How do you know I wasn't just saying whatever I needed to say to get us dancing again?"

"All you had to do was ask, silly git."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Garlant!" some boy a few couples away hissed at him. "Shut your noise before I hex you silly! Some of us are trying to dance here!"

"Oh keep your knickers on, Smallwood," Ginny waved him off, causing some giggles around them.

"It's Small_stone_!" he corrected her seethingly.

"Is it? Smallwood seems more appropriate, don't you think, Will?"

"Haven't the foggiest! I suggest we consult his date. She might have seen, or rather, _not_ seen something."

"Oi! Linnie! Is Smallwood more appropriate!?" Ginny yelled over the crowd of people, some of whom were now laughing as they turned back to hear the other couples response. Most were determinedly focused on each other, not bothering with the raucous at all. No answer came though, as the boy now christened Smallwood dragged his girlfriend off the dance floor.

Ginny leaned in closer to William, gently moving with him to the tune as they revelled in their stupid little victory by finally shutting up for a minute. It didn't last long, only a few minutes, as the Weird Sisters let their last song die out into silence to the massive disappointment of every single person in the Great Hall. Ginny indicated towards Parvati Patil, who was sharing a tender kiss with a Beauxbaton boy and looking like she really did not want the night to finish. William received his own little peck on his cheek from Ginny when he smiled at his Gryffindor classmate.  
Fred had also done alright, it seemed. He was busy whispering sweet nothings into a giggling girl's ear by the looks of it, and expressed a quite justifiably smug face when he caught William's eye. Several more couples around the room had similar experiences - holding hands, hugging, blushing as they thanked each other for the night. It was hardly a surprise - what with the alcohol served, the romantic lights, the slow music, the teenage hormones… No, the real surprise came for them both when Ginny took William's jaw by her hands and guided his gaze towards Harry's and George's table, which Hermione and Luna had joined not long ago. It was lucky indeed that Ginny was holding his jaw at that moment - he was sure it'd drop to the floor if she didn't. Harry and Hermione were entangled in each other's arms, kissing each other with what looked like the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. How long he and Ginny stood there, staring at them, he'd never know. Minutes? Hours? The Hall must have emptied with so many people having filed past them. To his left, Ginny still seemed just as shocked as he was.

"Well," said William finally.

"Didn't see that coming," Ginny finished.

* * *

**A.N.: A _very _quick sketch of Ginny, William, Harry, Ron, and Hermione! ****imgurcom/mVPcABb**** (add a period after "imgur" - you know the drill).**


	12. Chapter 12 - The Return

_Pop_. A tall man apparated into existence outside of the Hogwarts Grounds where William was standing on the snowy December morning. The man had a gaunt look about him, his skin stretched thin on his long face, which itself was mostly covered in a thick, pitch black beard. He glanced down at William with the same hazel eyes William saw every day in the mirror, though he hoped his own did not posses the same frostiness as his brother's did. _Edward_. Save sharing the same half-brown half-green hazel eyes, their appearance could almost not be more dissimilar. Edward had finely slicked back jet black hair, contrasting William's brown and somewhat messy growth, excepting his trimmed sides. William had a subtly aquiline nose and quite sharp cheekbones, whereas Edward's nose was long and more crooked-like, and his cheekbones rather withdrawn. And more than that, Edward exuded a sense of superiority befitting both a proud Pureblood and a noble Garlant, both with his luxurious black robes lined with silver, and his general demeanour and that condescending way of looking down at those he deemed inferior (which was almost everyone he encountered), a trait he had inherited from their dear mother. All this, and the fact that they simply could not be more different in regards to character and personality, meant that you would be hard pressed to recognise the shared blood between these two brothers. One Slytherin, one Gryffindor. One proud of his ancestry, one disgusted by it… The morning after the Yule Ball stood in stark contrast to the previous night, though William had to admit that his mood had taken quite a turn after what he and Ginny had witnessed in the dying moments of the Ball, he would still gladly take seeing _that _again (though perhaps not more than twice) rather than returning home for the better part of two weeks. _Home_? This wasn't - had never - _would_ never be his home.

"Little brother," the older brother gave the subtlest of nods at the lone recognition of them being related, and held out his hand. William grabbed it, knowing full well he'd not get a warmer greeting than that. Edward wasn't a Weasley. He was a Garlant. And Garlants were not expected to be loving or happy or welcoming. They were expected to be _this_.

"Ed," William answered.

"_Edward_," he corrected. "You're not a child anymore. It is about time you learn how to address people correctly."

Without any warning, they were off. The two brothers popped out of existence, squeezed into a tube, and forced out to the large grounds of Garlant Manor. A huge, grey and black house met them. Well, _house _was hardly the right term for the monstrosity his family called their home. It was more of a castle. Some thirty odd bedrooms, half a dozen house-elves (Hermione's head might explode if she ever saw the state of them, judging by her reaction the one time they entered the Hogwarts' kitchens in third year), and at least sixteen secret passageways that William had found so far - not counting hidden rooms and spaces only accessible through magical means.

They made their way in silence through the courtyard, past the statues of dead Garlants and hedges cut into various shapes, to be greeted at the broad oak doors by the youngest of the Manor's house-elves, Ivory. She was practically bouncing as they approached, and her pale little face lit up at the arrival of the youngest Garlant son.

"Master William!" she squeaked and bowed. "Oh how we misseds our young Master. Yesterdays we were-"

"Silence, Ivory!" Edward demanded, throwing the cowering elf a disdainful look. "The greeting is enough. There is no need to grovel."

Resisting the urge to hex his brother, William squeezed the wand in his robes and silently counted to ten, barely listening to the house-elf's answer.

"Apologies, Master Edward, I will not repeats it, I won't!" she promised, bowing so low her long nose was half buried in the ground. Edward entered through the doors without a second look at her.

"It's alright, Ive," assured William. "You can tell me all about it later. I'll meet you in my room after lunch? I need your help with something," he said. The diminutive head of hers shot up from the ground, her large eyes welling with tears at the invitation. Being a junior member of his house, William might not be able to provide his family's house-elves with the care Hermione would like, but the least he would treat them with respect when interacting with them.

"Of course, Master, of course!" she squealed, before holding out her arm to usher William inside. "Mistress Garlant will arrive before luncheon, she says. Taffy and Grey will prepares the food, and I mades them swears to cooks your favourite!" she said, though William wasn't paying much attention to their upcoming meal plan. He'd instead been stuck on the fact that his mother apparently wasn't present. She rarely left their home - in fact, he would be hard pressed to recall ever seeing her outside the mansion's grounds. Garlant Manor was after all her ancestral home as well, being first cousin to William's deceased father. She often told how she was born there, she'd live there, and she would die there.

"Ive," he began, keeping himself standing up straight as he had learnt some house-elves interpreted it as rude to bend down when speaking to them. "Where has Mistress Audelia gone? Why isn't she home?"

"Ivory could not says, Master William. Mistress Audelia is missings most days. Grey is awfully worrieds, he says." Grey, their oldest house-elf, had been in their family for at least three generations. In his old age he'd gotten to misremembering some rather important details, such as Mistress Audelia _not _being a teenager studying at Hogwarts, nor a radicalised young adult mixed in with the Pureblood supremacists. William shuddered as he was remembering the screams and wails of the poor ancient house-elf echoing in the halls as his beloved Mistress Audelia caned him over and over after he'd attempted to follow orders from long dead family members. Grey did not understand that he'd done anything wrong. He thought his old Masters were alive, that they'd told him to keep an eye on Mistress Audelia, to ban her from doing this and that… William was forcing his thoughts back to the matter at hand, he needed to know _why _she was missing and _where _she was. He couldn't out his finger on why, but something in him, a gut instinct, told him it was important. And his gut instinct was usually right. _That weird thing_, Harry had called it.

"That's… it's alright Ivory, but can you say when she usually leaves? How long is she away for? Does she bring anything with her when she goes? Or perhaps she has something when she returns?" he said, apparently overwhelming the little elf. Her eyes closed in concentration as she seemed to think exceptionally hard to recount every single question before answering. Feeling a bit sorry and guilty, he opened his mouth to speak, but Ivory beat him to it.

"Mistress leaves through the Gallery Room's fireplace first thing after breakfasts - oh it makes Grey so terribly sad. He thinks she is unhappy with cookings. She is away for luncheon as well, always returnings at five-thirty, no earlier, no later, not ever. Excepts today, to greets her dear son young Master William, of course!" she smiled at him and bowed again. "She sometimes brings with her things, but she does not returns with anything," she finished, earning her look of pride as she recalled every detail with perfection.

"What things does she bring with her, if you please, Ivory?"

"Oh all sorts of things, Master. Mostly food, but also books and… objects which Ivory could not says what they are."

"Books?"

"Yes, Master, books. All from your grandfather's library. Old Master William would not be pleased if he knew Mistress Audelia entered his sanctuary, Grey says. He tried to stops her, Mistress hurts him for that," she explained. A gut wrenching knot turned uncomfortably inside William, but he chose to ignore it for now. More questions needed to be asked.

"William!" Edward's yell carried out to the entrance. For a split second, William thought he was a small child again, having been caught in one of his pranks on his older brother. "There is an owl here and it reeks of mud! Fetch it before I toss it into the fire!" he shouted.

"Thank you, Ive. I'll see you after lunch!" he said, before running off into the massive Dining Hall to find who he recognised as Hermione's sandy-coloured barn owl Cicero, whom she had gotten after their second year to correspond with William during the summer. _That was fast_. He'd barely gotten home before her first letter arrived.

After taking the letter off Cicero and petting him gently, he unrolled it to find that curly writing with which he had grown so familiar. _Bloody Hell_. She'd written him a damned novel! How Hermione had found time to write at all was a mystery, but this much? Her minuscule text covered the entire length of the paper, front and back! Supposing he'd better start reading it if he was to finish it in time for lunch, he thanked the owl and made his way to the Gallery Room with a light spring to his step. The comfy sofa in front of the hearth would do perfectly well, despite being forced to endure the many glares from dead relatives in their portraits - at least those who weren't pretending to be asleep. Half of them would most likely scream blue murder if they knew who had written him.

_Dear William,_

_First off, thank you for cheering me up last night after mine and Ron's argument. Viktor had to return to the Durmstrang ship quite early, and Ron was in a supremely foul mood - he claimed I was "fraternising with the enemy" for accepting Viktor's invitation! He doesn't seem to understand that the point of this whole thing, the Yule Ball and the Tournament, is to promote international magical cooperation between our Wizarding communities! Of course, I do suspect he has other motives for suddenly not liking his previous hero Viktor Krum, but the less said about that the better. What I really wanted to say was that I enjoyed our dance, however brief it was, and I can now say that you do not appear to strut about. Though I can not be sure, given the aforementioned briefness of the dance, so I'm very much afraid we will simply have to do it again. Just to make sure!_

_I was sorry (though not particularly surprised) to miss you at breakfast this morning. I know how you like to wander around the grounds alone for a bit before you leave Hogwarts, but some part of me wished you didn't. It's selfish, I know, sue me. _

Having no idea what "_sue me_" meant, William read on now a bit more confused.

_Speaking of not suing me - my memory is a bit fuzzy on the subject, and Harry hasn't popped up to tell me anything yet, but I do recall me and him somehow ending up kissing at the end of the Ball. That was a bit unexpected, and a whole lot strange. I was so very embarrassed this morning when I woke up! I just hope I didn't ruin anything between me and him. Harry is of course a dear friend and I do love him, but I'm just not sure how to feel about us ending up like that - I somehow doubt it is what he had planned and I doubt even more that it is what he wanted… We looked for you and Ginny afterwards, but you seemed to have vanished somewhere, much like the rest of the Great Hall occupants had once we had finished. Professor McGonagall found us wandering about on the third floor looking for you, and she took ten points from us because we had missed curfew! Harry didn't bring the Map to the Great Hall, of course, but once we returned to the Gryffindor Tower he ran up and found you sound asleep. Ginny was in her dormitory, if you were wondering, and once we knew you two weren't off snogging somewhere at that hour with a Death Eater in the castle, we found it much easier to sleep. _

Trying his hardest not to fixate too much on her ongoing use of _"we_" when referring to her and Harry every other sentence, he went through the last paragraph again before continuing.

_Well, I say easier to sleep, but that's only a half-truth as I'm sure you are fully aware. That little prank of yours woke me up only a few minutes after I finally fell asleep! And I'm quite certain all of Gryffindor Tower startled awake from my yells! The bloody banner sprung up and kept enlarging itself until it covered half our dorm! Lavender nearly choked on giggles (or was it my hex that did it?) when she saw your enchanted "apology"-thingy you'd done on the banner. When she and Parvati swore that they didn't help you carry it to the dorm… Honestly, what were you thinking, you stupid, stupid, __stupid__ boy!? Do you realise you could have gotten expelled if you were caught in there!? And how in Merlin's-Finely-Groomed-Beard did you do it!? I won't rest until I find out. And until I have my revenge! Oh, and it shall be sweet. And likely a bit bloody! Fair warning, all the Gryffindor girls will also be wanting payback for that hilarious bit of magic. Though I suppose I have to admit to possibly maybe kind of perhaps sort of being ever so slightly impressed by the mentioned magic. You know what? I take that back. I refuse to encourage you for that. I should report you to a professor! In fact, I think I will unless you promise to show me how you entered the girl's dormitory. Congratulations! You've provided a sworn (and angry) enemy with blackmail material. _

_But, and I am loathe to say it, it was a very lovely surprise. And when I finally slept again, I did so with a stupidly big grin, I'm sure._

_And to be even more serious for the length of a full sentence or two; consider your apology accepted! Even though I have to add that an apology really wasn't necessary! _

_We're going to miss you during these two weeks! Ginny and Ron are leaving with Fred and George anytime now, so it's just going to be me and Harry. Knowing him (and myself), I expect these coming days to be quite awkward, and I'll be surprised if we say any more than a couple of words to each other. I hope I'm wrong, though. Would it be too much to ask if you could write to Harry as well? I know he would be happy to hear from you, we both worry so much when you are away at your place. It might give us something to talk about other than __that__ thing that happened. I also plan on bringing up what you said about Mr. Crouch to Harry, and I will let you know what we find out as soon as I can. _

_Already missing you dearly,_

_Love, Hermione_

_P.S. _

_HOW DID YOU DO IT!?_

The last line was underlined an absurd amount of times, bringing a happy smirk to William's face. Though it was a conflicted boy who sat in front of the Gallery Room hearth as the letter rested in his hand. His emotions were all over the place - happiness for Hermione's improved mood, giddiness that it had been by his hand, a weird sense of sadness that couldn't really be placed, a spark of joy at every last word she had written regarding his apology, and also a slew of almost melancholy feelings at the reminder of hers and Harry's kiss... He did not want to feel _that_. But he did. It was impossible to deny, no matter how hard he was trying to. Images of Hermione deeply entangled in Harry's arms at the Yule Ball bounced around in his head, mocking his every attempt to suppress them. They kissed even more passionately than they had in real life, and for a fleeting moment this Harry of his mind's eye turned around and winked at him… Something angry boiled within William, egged on by the sound of the crackling fire and the intensity of the flames. _Why_? Said a voice in his head. _Why, why, why, why!? _It continued, louder and louder, angrier and angrier, until a heavy "_NO" _in his mind snapped him back to reality. He had crumpled the letter in his hand, and his racing heart was calming again when he consciously bit back at that part of himself that wanted nothing more than to hex his best friend for kissing his other best friend. _NO_, he thought again. _They are my friends. And I am with Ginny. _Images of her entered his mind instead, as a soothing calmness spread over him like a refreshing and cooling gust of wind. Her fiery red hair, her perfect lips, her soft touch… He liked Ginny. Possibly more than just liked. _Definitely _more. So why was it that he felt these things? Why was it that he could not move past whatever it was he felt for Hermione? They had shared _one _small and very innocent little kiss! One he hadn't even returned! Cursing the fact that he hadn't done so, he was now instead imagining himself and Ginny in Harry's and Hermione's stead at the Yule Ball, and a quite different feeling crept over him as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Taking another look at the ruined letter and quickly blessing the fact that his grandfather somehow had rendered the Ministry's trace useless in their house, he muttered a quick _Reparo _before reading Hermione's writing all over again, and deciding he'd write to her as soon as possible. It was after all what he had intended to do with the discreet help of Ivory, as he had done countless times in the past.

* * *

**A.N.: Drew a William after having produced his Patronus, something he likes to do when he needs to focus on happy thoughts: ****imgurcom/jv4JjBl (just add a period after "imgur"). He mostly does this after particularly nasty lessons with Snape, or when he is about to return home to Garlant Manor. **


	13. Chapter 13 - The Letters

_To Hermione J. Granger, From William A. Garlant_

_Dear future Mrs. Potter,_

_Fear not, I have arrived at Garlant Manor (I hate that bloody name) and am currently still whole and safe. Well, as whole and safe as one can be expected to be after witnessing what you and Harry did during the Yule Ball. Honestly woman, you two do know that you're not supposed to actually eat the other person's face when snogging? _

_I suppose I should apologise for the apology banner (hmm… another banner, perhaps?). I should apologise, but I won't of course. It was a brilliant idea and I stand by it! If anything you had it coming after forcing me to watch you assault Harry in the Great Hall! And yes, I will be mentioning that and reminding you of it in every single paragraph of every last letter. Sue me! (Did I use that right?)_

_For reasons obvious, I can not divulge the manner in which I successfully entered your dormitory. A Wizard never reveals his secrets! Also, should I ever want to do it again I'd rather not have to avoid whatever additional protection Dumbledore would cast on the entrance. _

_Regarding the whole Mr. Crouch business - we should refrain from writing too much about it in the letters. My family are already on the brink of transfiguring Cicero into a brick for delivering me post, and if they find out what they contain (and that a… *lowers voice to a whisper* Muggleborn is writing them), they might actually just skip the owl and transfigure __me__ into a brick! Yes, I do realise it would be an improvement in some ways. I'll just write the jokes so you don't have to: at least I would blend in well with the walls I'm always leaning against. I'd be hard all the time and only get laid once. And… I'm out. Not a lot of brick-related humour, apparently. Or maybe I'm just thick as a brick. _

_Oh, right, you and Harry snogged. Ha! Never gets old. Did it feel like kissing your cousin? It looked like it, and I should know, I see cousins kiss every bloody time at our dinner parties. Purebloods really are a special breed. _

_Speaking of inbreds, dear mother told me we'd be hosting such a dinner party before term start. Apparently the Malfoys will attend, as will the Greengrasses, the Averys, the Carrows, and probably half the Slytherin alumni of the last fifty years. So that'll be fun. It's a good thing this house has something close to eight thousand rooms in which I can hide. Which is what you and Harry should have done when you two "kissed", or whatever you called that thing you did. _

_Much love,_

_William_

_P.S. _

_You have my formal blessing for yours and Harry's wedding! I expect an invitation enclosed in the next letter._

* * *

_To William A. Garlant, From Hermione J. Granger_

_Dear humongous git,_

_That's __not__ funny! Have you not already given me enough reasons to yearn for vengeance? Must you poke the dragon further!? Be it on your over-sized-yet-surprisingly-empty head!_

_Solve this to read on:_

_I am the tail of this, and secrets I reveal_

_I am the description of a kiss, and words I unseal_

_I am spoken with care, and with a tap with the twig from a tree_

_I am allowing this letter to share, what only your eyes should see_

_Not so much love,_

_Hermione_

_P.S. _

_And for what it's worth, Harry was a perfect gentleman and the kiss was more than __satisfactory__!_

_Super Secret P.S. and congratulations for solving my riddle to show the rest of this letter. I hope it was exceedingly difficult, much like you constantly have a way of being. Did you like my choice of password?_

_I spoke with Harry about your suspicions regarding the Goblet. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to spot Mr. Crouch on the Map ever since the Yule Ball. Perhaps he has returned to the Ministry… So no luck there, I'm afraid. _

_I did however have a little run in with your dear friend Daphne Greengrass the other day… It was very odd, which is why I didn't include it in the plain text. She was skulking around the shortcut by the suit of armour and the painting of Wilfred the Foul… What could she possibly be doing there? As far as I know, only Gryffindors use it, given its location. I could have sworn she was hiding something behind her back as well, but she was very quick to leave after we saw her. Harry thought it strange as well - strange enough that we looked her up on the Map, but we couldn't find her anywhere! Her two sisters Astoria and Olivia were still in the Slytherin Common Room, and I hardly think she left for home by herself. Perhaps you can find something out (discreetly!) during the dinner? Unless your famously immense Gryffindor bravery keeps you hiding for the duration of their visit. Heart of a lion, truly!_

* * *

_To Hermione J. Granger, From William A. Garlant_

_Dear empty-threats girl,_

_Oh I am absolutely trembling at the prospect of being on the receiving end of your ire. Vengeance? Dragon? __You__!? If I wasn't such a gentleman myself (before you argue this point, take time to consider that I actually found a way to sneak into the girl's dormitory and haven't abused it! Well, as far as you know at least. That cloak of Harry's could come in handy…), I might actually laugh at your threats of revenge. _

_I take it you've already finished all the homework, including Snape's essay and Flitwick's Scouring Charm? For some inexplicable reason the bloody charm just doesn't want to clean anything! I tried it on every damned thing in my room, and it does absolutely nothing. Perhaps I should try it on my brother instead… He could do with a nice and thorough cleanse of his mouth, given how often he complains about "mud". _

_Snape's essay is a bore as well… I mean really, what use could one possibly have of knowing the Antidote to __shyness__? How is that even a thing that exists? Please enclose your finished essay so that I can draw some inspiration, and I promise to never mock you for your skill in potion-making ever again! _

_Honestly, I'm having much more fun reading about the Animagi-process and (extremely safely, of course) attempting to transform every now and again. Not much progress yet, I'm afraid. Our house-elf Ivory has been great help so far._

_Oh, and tell Harry to expect a stern letter from me!_

_No love at all,_

_William_

_Super Secret P.S._

_And really!? "Satisfactory" as the password!? So I have to be reminded of yours and Harry's snogfest every time I want to read your letter? Well, congratulations on an achieved revenge. I do believe the Bludger is, as your precious Muggles say, in my general vicinity. Or something like that. I can never remember your silly Muggle idioms._

_I will find out what I can about the enigma that is Daphne Greengrass, and of course I'll be subtle. When am I not? I'll be silent, cunning, and stealthy. Like a ninja. Remember ninjas? From that Muggle "film" you showed me after I ran off last summer. I can't remember what it was called… You fell asleep after an hour or so, but they really made an impression on me. So I'll be like a ninja! What can possibly go wrong?_

_It's a shame about the Crouch thing, though. We'll have to wait, I suppose._

* * *

_To Harry J. Potter, From William A. Garlant_

_Dear satisfactory Harry,_

_Hermione tells me you two are regular lovebirds now, wasting no time at all to describe in great detail how you snog (and worse) in every secret nook, hidden cranny, abandoned room, and deserted hallway Hogwarts has to offer. Given her apparent giddiness at your romantic adventures I expect her to propose within the fortnight, and you both have my much sought-after blessing! But if Ron gets to be best man before me, I might just have to ruin the wedding. I'm sure Ginny would not object to joining me in that noble endeavour. Maybe we'll steal the show by announcing a pregnancy in the middle of the ceremony. Or at the very least publicly start the conception! Ah, we'll figure something out. Thanks for being there for me to bounce some ideas off of, Harry! _

_In all (well, enough) seriousness, Hermione told me to tell you that I am safe and fine. For now, at least. Garlant Manor (ugh) is about to host a dinner party of the Pureblooded kind. Draco Malfoy is going to be in my house. Under my roof. I might actually throw up on him when it happens… In fact, it might actually provoke them into leaving! Thanks for the idea, Harry! Knew I could count on you to step up._

_Lots of love from your favourite Pureblood,_

_William_

* * *

_To William A. Garlant, From Harry J. Potter_

_William,_

_Very amusing, mate. Yes, we kissed. __Once__, mind you! But nothing happened since. And no, I don't realise the irony of me insisting there's nothing going on after me and Hermione kissed, while I berated you two for just holding hands. And no again, there is nothing else going on and we both would appreciate it if you would keep the dirty workings of your mind to yourself, thank you very much. _

_Regarding the dinner party: I'm sure you and Malfoy will become fast friends, given your many similarities. Purebloods, Slytherin families, terrible at Quidditch, and scheming little snakes! Hermione told me about your little adventure in the girl's dormitory. Why didn't you tell me and Ron!? Or at least one of us! You know how it's supposed to go: one to do the thing that needs doing - and I'm sure whatever business you had in there was exceptionally important - and one to stand guard! Do you think the Marauders were out marauding individually? No! They always had backup. And! If you'd gotten caught I'd be stuck at Hogwarts with only Ron and Hermione. Do you have any bloody inkling at all as to how awkward things are between me and her at the moment!? And Ron will most likely blow a fuse when he finds out what happened. First his mate dates his sister, then his other mate snogs the girl he probably fancies? Those ingredients a good potion don't make. Perhaps you should invite him to your family's dinner. That way he can befriend Malfoy and have some help plotting our demise. _

_Harry_

* * *

_To William A. Garlant, From Hermione J. Granger_

_Dear soon-to-be-sorry & not-at-all-satisfactory former friend,_

_You absolute arse, William! I was sitting next to Harry in the Common Room (SITTING NEXT TO, NOT SNOGGING) when your letter to him came! Do you have the slightest idea of how embarrassing that was!? I'm fairly certain I was as red as the walls, but I could hardly ask Harry, could I!? I haven't been able to look him in the eye since. Thank you so very much for that lovely moment that will forever be etched into my brain. You can choke on Malfoy at that stupid dinner party for all I care! _

_I still, and quite regrettably I might add, love you (as a friend! The same way I love Harry!). But do learn to keep a lid on your filthy mouth before I teach you the Scouring Charm by cleaning it. _

_More hate than love,_

_Hermione_

_Super Secret P.S._

_I thought you might like the password. Serves you right for all you put me through! And it's "ball in my court". Did you hear my dad say that?_

_The film was called Ninja III: The Domination, and it was thoroughly awful. Though I can see how it appeals to simple people like you._

* * *

_To Hermione J. Granger, From William A. Garlant_

_Dear you-said-you-love-me-how-will-this-affect-your-relationship-with-Harry,_

_Alas, another tragic misstep from my end. Add it to the list of things I should, but absolutely won't, apologise for. Oh I would have loved, just loved to see your reactions to that letter. Honestly, I'll pay half my inheritance (given I haven't been disowned by the time I get it) to see it in a Pensieve. It's a shame Harry is already rich as a king, and you would probably die before giving me that memory. Is there any way at all I can persuade you? Pretty please? I'll tell you how I got into your dorm!_

_I love you, too! Shall we endeavour to hide our deeply lustful feelings for each other for the benefit of our respective partners, or shall we let it bloom - let it stand as proud and stout as the mightiest tree on the tallest mountain? _

_Sarcastic love,_

_William_

_Super Secret P.S._

_No, it was actually your mum who said it. Do thank them both again for taking me in back then and not telling anyone about it. My family would have my hide if they ever found out where I went. I miss your dad the most (don't tell your mum!). And by the way, your dad loves that movie, so you're calling him "simple people" when insulting me. Thought you ought to know!_

_Oh, and I forgot to tell you this in the last letter: one of our house-elves, Ivory, told me my precious mother has started regularly leaving the house. As if on some sort of schedule. Apparently she brings with her strange objects and books from my grandfather's library (unfortunately I can't enter it to see what's missing, she's always got a couple of house-elves guarding it now). I know this doesn't sound too strange for someone who doesn't know dear old mum, but trust me when I say that it is __highly__ suspicious. She never leaves the house. She didn't used to, at least. Anyway, I haven't been able to figure out much so far, but I know even Edward isn't allowed in on where she's going and what she's up to. I heard them rowing about it in whispers when they thought I was on the other side of the house (thank Merlin for grandfather's secret passageways). I've also noticed that she seems exceptionally happy and cheerful when she returns, and very eager and excited when she's about to leave. And if that's not a reason to be concerned, then I don't know what is. That woman is never happy. In fact, I don't think I'd ever seen so much as a hint of a trace of the smallest of smiles before this last week, let alone her practically bouncing with giddiness. Whatever it is that is making Audelia Garlant that happy simply cannot be good. Thoughts?_

* * *

_To William A. Garlant, From Hermione J. Granger_

_Dear finally-more-reasonable-but-still-annoying boy,_

"_Tragic misstep"!? Don't make me laugh. You make it sound as if it wasn't precisely what you wanted to happen. Things always have a strange way of transpiring in the exact manner you want them to. It's bloody infuriating! I am a bit intrigued by your bargain, though. I'll agree to view the memory together if you promise you'll tell me how you entered my dormitory. And you have to also promise to never ever do it again unless explicitly invited! I wonder if the Room of Requirement can produce a Pensieve…_

_Indeed, my darling love, I do think it would be prudent to disguise our romance, our little dance of the hearts and the lips and the… Ugh, I can't even finish that. How do you do it? Anyway, I'll give it a try… Right. Take me, my darling love, take me to the stars and whatnot. Show me what I am missing while my inadequate-yet-extremely-handsome husband is none the wiser! This reads like one of my mum's romance novels. Have you ever read a Muggle novel?_

_Very Sarcastic Love,_

_Hermione_

_Super Secret P.S._

_I will write them and send them your thanks for the thousandth time! They miss you, too. I just hope you can return this summer, and never have to go back to that awful place. _

_Regarding Mrs. Garlant, her behaviour does sound a bit suspicious. In fact, it reminds me of the Daphne Greengrass conundrum Harry and I have been wracking our brains over… She goes missing every now and then, but when she's close by she's always carrying something she doesn't want anyone to see. And then we spot her on the Map and chase after her and she seems positively delighted. Almost unnaturally delighted, for being Daphne Greengrass, that is… I haven't seen her be in such a good mood since the two of you came running and laughing out of detentions with Snape back in second year. It seems quite far fetched that she and your mother would be in some sort collusion, though. Doesn't it?_

* * *

_To Ginevra M. Weasley, From William A. Garlant_

_Ginny,_

_I've missed you this last week. Why haven't you written!? The only owls I've gotten have carried letters containing an __unbelievable__ amount of smut from Harry and Hermione, rigorously and painstakingly recounting their various carnal encounters all over the castle. DON'T SLEEP IN YOUR BED WHEN YOU GET BACK. Burn the sheets! Avoid touching every surface larger than two square inches in the Common Room without gloves, and don't eat the chocolate pudding at all during dinners. Don't ask._

_Tell Ron that I miss him too, and that I think I can make a quick escape to meet you lot up for one hour next week - Leaky Cauldron? But we'll have to make it quick and relatively dry. Does Wednesday work for you? _

_So, what have you been up to since the Yule Ball? (Please, please, please tell me something interesting, or I might actually die from boredom over here)_

_Hugs and kisses and stuff,_

_William_

_P.S._

_Send a lewd photo. _

_P.P.S._

_In case Ron saw that: I'm joking._

_P.P.P.S._

_Not really, though._

* * *

_To William A. Garlant, From Ronald B. Weasley_

_Will,_

_Did you seriously ask my sister for a "lewd photo"!? I'll see you back at Hogwarts._

_Ron_

* * *

_To William A. Garlant, From Ginevra M. Weasley_

_Will,_

_Oi, you haven't written either! And don't give me that rubbish about Harry and Hermione - I know for a fact that they limit their non-stop shagging to your bed. _

_We won't be able to leave the Burrow (family stuff…). I promised mum I'd help out with the most boring stuff you can imagine before we have some relatives over, and Ron is a bit cross with you so he might need a few days to cool off. Can't imagine why! But we'll see each other (not) soon enough._

_Love, _

_Ginny_

_P.S._

_I attached a copy of the photograph of us by the lake that Colin took. It's not particularly lewd, but at least my brothers won't kill you for it. Well, maybe Ron. Heads up though: when the two of us in the photo get too rowdy, you have to poke them until they stop. I've kept telling photo-Ginny to keep her clothes on every bloody hour, the little slag. I'm __not__ that easy in real life._

* * *

_To Hermione J. Granger, From William A. Garlant_

_Dear Hermione,_

_So, we had the dinner. And it was… something. I hope you have your reading glasses on. This can take a while._

* * *

**A.N.: So I know this isn't the best chapter, given it's all letters, but fear not! I have another chapter just waiting to be posted. It'll be up in about 24 hours. Also, I drew the photograph Colin Creevey took of Ginny and William by the lake. He asked for permission before he took it, so it's not that creepy. And I know he canonically used a Muggle-camera, but I'm imagining he sometimes used a magical one as well. Here is my drawing: i****mgurcom/j3wGSAg. Just add a period after "imgur".  
Regarding Hermione's riddle; when you speak the answer and tap your wand to the letter, hidden text appears. The "tail" refers to the last word of the letter, which before the hidden text appears is the word "satisfactory". Just wanted to clear that up.**


	14. Chapter 14 - The Reunion

**Dear Mr. & Mrs. Greengrass**

**The Greengrass family is hereby cordially invited to attend the Garlant New Year Dinner**

**Honouring the tides of Restoration**

**Honouring the Old Ways**

**Honouring the sacrifice of the Noble Dead**

**January 1st **

**Evening**

**Dress robes required**

**Hosted by Mrs. Audelia Garlant at Garlant Manor**

William held the invitation that Daphne Greengrass had handed him. Reading it over and over, his eyes always lingering for a few seconds on the words "_Restoration_", "_Old Ways_", and "_Noble Dead_". Not unexpectedly, a healthy dose of Pureblood propaganda seemed to be in order for this dinner party, then. It wasn't uncommon for the dinners his mother hosted. Quite the opposite, in fact. Though to blatantly and openly parade it was a rather new development.

"Alright, you can hand it back now, thank you," said Daphne, snatching the piece of paper from his hands. William startled as he'd momentarily forgotten she was still standing there, apparently staring at him as he'd read the invitation several times. "What?" she said when he had looked at her without saying anything. "You're ogling."

"So?" he asked, though he poked his head out of the empty room they were in for no particular reason other than to seem distracted. He motioned her to follow as he started walking without any destination in mind.

"It's unattractive," she explained flatly, while following him through the second floor stone hallway.

"Then I suppose I am unattractive, Daphne. Anyway, when did you say the rest of you would turn up?"

"The rest of us?"

"Yeah, you know, the rest of you lot. Slytherins, Purebloods… evil gits, in short."

"Are you actually serious? Why would I know when the Malfoys and Carrows and them are going to show up?" she asked as they walked past his grandfather's library. The two house-elves standing guard bowed towards William but not particularly low - they apparently needed to keep their eyes on him when he was close by, because they did not so much as blink as he and Daphne moved diligently along.

"Well, I assume you have some sort of secret evil knitting group in an evil cave where you discuss these… evil things."

"Knitting sounds much more like a Gryffindor pastime."

"Hufflepuff if anything."

"And how can a cave be evil?"

"You're the expert! You tell me."

"It's actually a secret evil painting group. And we're located in a hidden lair beneath a graveyard."

"Yes, painting is much more sinister. Is the graveyard evil?"

"Naturally. It's filled with the bones of our enemies."

"Well, technically all bones belonging to any sane person is the enemy of your lot."

"Hmm, true. But it's an animal graveyard. Puppies, kittens, that sort of stuff."

"Oh that is just plain _evil_. Ugh. I forgot how loathsome you are."

"And I forgot how squeamish _you_ are."

They had arrived at William's room and were now standing idly by the door. He hadn't even thought about where they were heading, but for some reason his feet had carried them there. Daphne had of course been in his room before… but that was _before_. It was different now. They weren't friends anymore. Yet, it didn't really _feel _different. Not when they talked like that. Not when they evidently enjoyed speaking to each other as if they were good friends again, even taking pleasure in the other's company. He had forgotten how similar they were in terms of intellect and humour. Most people would probably find it a bit awkward, being forced to spend time with a former friend. Not them, apparently. And just as she had done so many times in the past, she barged into his room as if it was her own. Another person (a _boring _person, William was thinking to himself), might ask permission first. Not her. She was sort of like Ginny that way; unabashedly herself.

"Oi!" William cried as the door flew open, revealing his bedroom. The scarlet walls, the Gryffindor poster, the Lion badge, the red and gold scarf… all reminding his family of the stark contrast between this room and the rest of the rooms in the house. His bed was untidy, just as he liked it. His used clothes piled up all over the floor, with an impressively tall such heap in one corner - especially so when considering he'd only been there about a week. Books laid sprawled across his desk, intermingling with many odd parchments and notes, spilled ink and ruined quills.

"Same old William," said Daphne, before she pinched her nose and waved her other hand as if some unbearable stench had reached her nostrils. "Dear Merlin, what _is _that smell?"

"It's the room of a teenage boy, Daff. What did you expect? Roses and strawberries?"

"First off, _eugh_!"

"And you said _I _was squeamish," said William, grinning at her look of disgust.

"Second, don't you _ever _clean?" she asked, ignoring him and opening the window with a flick of her wand. "Third, don't call me Daff!"

"Sorry, old habits you know."

"Do you actually enjoy living in your own filth?" she stared around at the complete mess with an incredulous look, while William was simply smiling at the room's familiarity. He liked the chaos of his untidiness. Maybe that's why he had trouble with cleaning spells in his room - because he didn't really want to clean. It was a theory, at least.

"You know, I find my filth quite relaxing, thank you very much."

"Clearly. And is that Snape's essay on the table?"

"Tis."

"You've written two sentences."

"Think he'll give it a passing grade?"

"Well, let's see. Hmm… _'The Antidote for shyness is an extremely useful antidote. It cures shyness.',_" she read aloud and gave a snort at the last sentence of his essay. "Yes, I can see truly now why you are considered a wizard prodigy."

"Right? Snape's blind, is all."

"All bats are blind."

"Are they really?"

"They use echolocation to see their environment."

"Neat!"

"You don't know what echolocation is, do you?"

"I know that ego-lactation is what bats use to see. I'm not an idiot," he said defensively. Daphne laughed heartily at that and thumped down on his bed, catching her fall with her hands before practically flying back up and looking down at her arms as if something foul covered them. "Relax, Daff. My bed is clean," he assured her. She gave him an apprehensive look as she carefully sat down again, keeping her hands firmly on her knees as she did so. "Well, relatively clean."

"Speaking of filth," she said after finally seeming a bit more comfortable sitting down. "Were you at the Yule Ball with Granger or Weasley?"

"Don't call them filth!" William snarled at her with an intended sharpness to his voice. She didn't seem to care.

"I can't seem to keep up with your latest exploits, and you've been so very chummy with both," Daphne continued, ignoring his warning.

"You see, this is why we don't talk anymore,"

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, a smug grin plastered on her face.

"You just can't keep your… your -"

"My what?"

"_Slytherin-ness _to yourself," William finished. She raised her brows in what seemed like surprise.

"Excuse me, but since when have you kept your _Gryffindor-ness _to _yourself_?"

"_Gryffindor-ness_?

"Besides, I only say that stuff to annoy you."

"How do I not keep my _Gryffindor-ness_ to myself?"

"Oh, please. Prancing around the castle at night,"

"I don't prance! Well, I suppose on occasion…"

"Snogging girls every other day,"

"Just the one girl, actually."

"Boasting loudly and often about your childish adventures. I could go on."

"Please do!"

"I haven't even mentioned your blatant contempt of us Slytherins!"

"Well that just makes me sane, really," answered William with a shrug. He was leaning on his desk, grinning again towards the girl sitting on his bed with her arms crossed, and having made him forget that he was supposed to be angry with her for her use of the word _filth _to describe his friends. It was quite remarkable, the way she always knew exactly what to say and which buttons to push to get him going, but at the same time had the ability to derail his thoughts and put him at a good mood with annoying ease. The silence that lingered for a while didn't seem to bother either of them. They'd spent enough time in each others presence to be comfortable with not talking. What _did _however bother William at the very least, was that she seemed to be watching him differently now. Her eyes never left him, and they were regarding him almost as if she was scanning him, weighing between different options. As if she was a Chaser deciding which hoop to throw at. _Ugh_. He'd resorted to Quidditch metaphors. Ron, Harry, and Ginny would be proud.

"So, Granger or Weasley?" she finally asked, snapping William back from his reverie.

"I think you know the answer to that," he said. "I took them both, of course." Daphne rolled her eyes, but couldn't quite fully suppress a grin. "Seemed like the _Gryffindor-y_ thing to do, d'you know what I mean?"

"Unfortunately, I _always _know what you mean."

"Besides, it didn't seem fair to deny anyone the opportunity to dance with _me_."

"Oh, Merlin no, we wouldn't want that."

"And who was your lucky boy? I couldn't help but notice a welcome lack of Slytherin males at our table. Or do you still prefer girls?"

"Shh!" She threw a pillow at him, which he promptly swatted away. "My parents still don't know," she said in a low voice. "Close the door and make sure there's no elf lurking about."

William followed his orders. He wasn't ever exactly sure _why _there was this need for this cloak and dagger, but he'd comply as long as it meant a rare moment of honesty and openness from Daphne. Surely her friends knew about her inclinations by now - she'd told him she thought she liked girls a long time ago after all… After making sure there indeed wasn't any elf snooping in on their conversation, he closed the door and went to close the window as well.

"Leave it open. It still stinks in here."

"So," William gestured towards Daphne, inviting her to continue.

"Yes," she answered simply.

"Yes _what_?"

"Yes, _I still prefer girls_!" she hissed. "And it's not exactly something that changes."

"It isn't?"

"No! At least I don't think it is."

"And why haven't you told your parents?"

"Please, how thick can you get?" she asked, rolling her eyes again but this time in exasperation. William shrugged, still not understanding. Daphne sighed before continuing. "I'm the oldest Greengrass. All girls. I'm supposed to carry on the family name - supposed to find a subservient boy who'll agree to a matrilineal marriage - supposed to spread my legs and breed like a rabbit," she explained. William was staring at her with wide eyes. He'd never realised, never even thought about the responsibilities Daphne had as the oldest of three daughters. Was it really that bad? Could it be? He gave a quick thought as to how it would be to be forced to have children, to be forced to marry someone you didn't want to marry… Shuddering at the thought, he swallowed and was trying to figure out when his mouth had become so dry.

"I… didn't realise."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Subservient boy, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, I must say I did expect this would come up," said William, nodding slowly while approaching the bed.

"Expect what?" asked Daphne, eyeing him with great suspicion as he neared.

"Bound to happen sooner or later, really,"

"_What _was bound to happen?" she asked again, this time through clenched teeth.

"For you to proposition me like this. I must say I -" she threw another pillow at him, which he grabbed out of the air and threw right back at her. "I am flattered, Daff, but I'm afraid I must decline."

"You pompous -" she hit him on the arm with the very same pillow. "Smug -" William moved to grasp it, but she was to quick and hit him again. "Pile of Thestral dung!" she finished, giving him another smack on his head for good measure.

"What, am I not _subservient _enough for you?"

"Shut it!"

"I wonder if Thestral dung is invisible as well…"

"Just look in the mirror!"

"Maybe I'm _too _handsome for you, you know? Like, maybe you're afraid of how out of your league I am?"

"Do you _want _to get your skull cracked?"

"No, that can't be it… If it's only toddlers you want from me then my looks should only be a bonus."

"I _should_ crack your skull, just so the scientific community can marvel at the thickness of it. Maybe I'd win an actual award for cracking something so dense."

"Well, there's nothing more to it, then. Spread your legs and let's breed like rabbits, as you so elegantly put it."

"William!" Daphne stared at him with her mouth open, and a quite clear blush was creeping up her cheeks.

"What, too far?"

"You're too bloody right _too far_!"

"Well, sorry then. I don't exactly know how to deal with serious stuff," he explained, sitting down next to her, albeit some distance apart. She seemed to compose herself before answering.

"You do know humour as a defence mechanism is a sign of weakness?" she said.

"Doesn't sound very Gryffindor-y of me."

"Seems more Ravenclaw-y, yes. But it's quite alright. I suppose I just… haven't really talked about this with anyone else. I'm not… I don't really know how to. It was easy with you, for whatever reason. Maybe a part of the reason it might have been easy was because of your humour, if I had to guess."

"Can I ask you something?" William almost blurted out. It seemed like a good time to do it. They'd talked a while, without even trying to kill each other. They'd even opened up a bit, sharing laughs and feelings… _Here we go. Like a ninja_.

"I… suppose?"

"I, _er - _I've been noticing - that is to say, I noticed back at Hogwarts, that you… seemed to vanish, sometimes? As in, just go missing?" _Smooth_. _Stealthy. Ninja._

"Oh," was all she answered, her brows raised in surprise again. For some reason, she seemed like she didn't want to meet his gaze, even reddening a bit as William was watching her for a few seconds. _Was_ she trying to hide something?

"Yeah… Where exactly do you go?"

"Why do you ask?" she returned, now looking as if she was trying to turn the tables and faced him head on.

"It's… not really my concern, I know, I was just -"

"Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Now _that _is Gryffindor-y," she said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

"Well, I'm so '_sorry'_ for asking, then!" he answered, returning the favour. "Next time, I won't bother finding out where my friend disappears off to all the bloody -"

"Did you know my family's poor?"

"I - _what_?" said William, sporting what he knew was a very confused looking frown. _Daphne, poor? _The Greengrasses had always been considered a quite wealthy family, hadn't they? Not that William cared about any of that. He'd gladly give all his inheritance away if it meant he'd been born into a different family. He'd give it all away and more just to have his grandfather back for a day as well. Having money never really mattered to him - maybe that was because money never was a problem for him - but he would regardless of reason never look down on anyone who lacked it.

"I said we're poor. Broke. Less Galleons than Greengrasses."

"But - I've been to your house! It's - you have house-elves! It's almost as big as this place! And your dad works at the Ministry!"

"Turns out the Ministry doesn't pay well after you've gone and got yourself sacked," she shrugged.

"Your dad's been sacked? When?"

"Last year. He blew all our money and more on some poor investments after that. I think the Malfoys earned a lot from his stupidity. And the Gringotts Goblins as well," said Daphne. She didn't look too bothered, though William wasn't that much of an idiot. It wasn't hard to tell that she wanted to appear less upset than she really was. Almost as if she wanted to say more but couldn't, or at least didn't know if she should. "We sold most of our house-elves," she continued. "Only Taldy's left, and that's just because she absolutely refuses to leave the house. And we can't sell that either, because it still wouldn't cover dad's debt and it'd only mean we'd have nowhere to sleep. And that our… _impoverishment_ would become common knowledge." Daphne sighed again, and kept her eyes focused on William's messy floor as if it all of a sudden had become very interesting. "So now I'm not just supposed to find someone _subservient_, but also someone absurdly rich. Got any boys like that lying around in here?"

"I actually might. It's quite cluttered, if you hadn't noticed. Who's to say whats underneath that pile in the corner, for instance?" he nudged her with his elbow, but her faint smile seemed more for his benefit than anything else. "Look, I'm sure you'll figure something out, Daff. You're clever, and pretty, and easy to talk to. Just because your dad lost all the money doesn't mean you have to marry someone to get more. You are allowed to earn your Galleons just as much as anyone else is."

"I know," she said, still staring down at the floor. "And I've already started to."

"Well, that's great!"

"It isn't."

"It isn't?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Because..?"

"Because!" repeated Daphne, her vibrantly green eyes finally meeting William's hazel ones again. "I don't like what I do. But I _have_ to do it."

"What is it that you do?" he asked, curiosity now itching at him worse than any insect bite he'd ever had. That familiar gut feeling was back as well, telling him this was important. That he should know.

"I can't tell you," she answered, breaking their eye contact swiftly and facing the carpet once more.

"Can't or won't?" asked William, biting his lip. He wanted to know. _Needed _to, even.

"Pick one. Both. Doesn't matter. I can't."

A couple of soft knocks interrupted them just as William had opened his mouth to speak. They shared a quick glance at each other before swiftly rising from the bed, straitening out their clothes, and getting ready for a dinner party William was expecting neither of them would particularly enjoy unless they somehow found a way to be exclusively with each other.

* * *

**AN: Just a couple of drawings this time. One of Daphne sitting on William's bed, and one sketch of William: ****imgurcom/a/FPePYs0**


	15. Chapter 15 - The Dinner

The honoured guests had arrived and were seated at the long table. The food was delicately served on elegant plates, and the various drinks were carried around on platters by the Garlant house-elves at the whim of their visitors. William had been seated at the far end, next to both Draco Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass, while her two sisters Olivia and Astoria sat opposite them, in what the adults undoubtedly considered to be something of a children's corner. All in all, it could have been worse that far - Malfoy had been unusually quiet, the adults were busy chatting amongst themselves, Daphne seemed to be content with the relative silence in their part of the table, and her sisters mostly whispered to each other. Both Daphne and William had listened in to what the adults had discussed, while Draco's eyes were mostly fixed on his plate and bubbly drink. They'd heard the older members talk of the Ministry and its various ongoings, complaining loudly about Cornelius Fudge and the so called '_Muggleborn problem'_. Apparently, the Ministry's stance on the those born to Muggle parents wasn't harsh enough… _No surprise there_, William had thought to himself. A few people around the table had voiced differing opinions, but they were mostly drowned out or waved off. Some shared laughs when reminiscing about the _'incident at the Quidditch World Cup'_, something the two Carrow siblings especially found amusing. William had made a mental note two hex them for that - he hadn't forgotten the look on Hermione's face when she saw what the Death Eaters were doing that night… They also discussed the Triwizard Tournament, which led to their current debate regarding the next course of action for the Hogwarts Board of Governors, which was now "_finally_" in majority control of the members from several Pureblood-families, even though Lucius Malfoy had been unceremoniously thrown out as Chairman nearly two years ago. It was therefore no surprise that this topic provoked the adults into including the five Hogwarts students sitting at their table. It was also no surprise that most eyes fell on the only Gryffindor student, as Lucius Malfoy's drawling voice was clearly aimed mostly at him when he turned to them.

"But I _do _wonder, my dear Audelia, what exactly would happen to those poor… _Muggleborn _students already at Hogwarts. What do our young students here think of the matter? You see, _some _are of the opinion that they simply can't be thrown out into the wild, free to do as they please. One could be forgiven for spotting the danger of that proposition, surely?" he asked. William met his pale grey eyes, but was making sure he'd appear as relaxed and untroubled as possible, despite every fibre in his body screaming at him to grab his wand and curse him into smithereens. He knew exactly which '_Muggleborn_' he was specifically referring to.

"Oh, I hardly think we should throw them out at all, Lucius," said an old and quite round man seated at the other end of the table when no student had answered. He was sporting a rather impressive walrus moustache and had a gleam in his eye as he spoke. "I've taught several Muggleborns myself, some of them exceptionally brilliant, despite their disadvantages!" he said, taking a massive swig from his glass. William hadn't met this man before, and he wasn't really sure whether to like him or not. He at least didn't say the word '_Muggleborn'_ with thinly veiled contempt, unlike most of the people present…

"Preposterous!" scoffed Edward, drunkenly slamming a fist into the table and drawing the attention of most people around, finally breaking the silent staring contest between Mr. Malfoy and William. "I say throw them all out! Obliviate them, toss them into Azkaban and throw away the key. Let the Dementors have their way with them," he finished, earning several murmurs of agreement.

"_Azkaban_!? But - whatever for?" the mustachioed man challenged. "They've not done anything _wrong_, have they?" Alright, William _did _like him. Though he had trouble understanding what he was doing _here _of all places, surrounded by some of the most radical Pureblood-supremacists in Magical Britain. And how he'd managed to stay in their good graces for so long, seeing as they'd spoken so openly regarding their less-than friendly attitude towards Muggleborn wizards and witches.

"Now _really_, Horace!" said an elderly man sitting next to Lucius.

"Professor's gotten soft in his old age," grunted the Carrow brother, to which his sister giggled madly. She didn't exactly seem _all there_.

"Oho, perhaps so, Amycus, but you'd be lucky to be as spry and spirited when you are as old as me. Though, I was merely wondering _why_ -"

"It's because they do not understand our ways," said Daphne with a shrug, and all eyes turned to her instead. William was sure his mouth was open, but he didn't have the mental capacity to both close it and pay as much attention to her speech has he would like. Daphne never participated in discussion regarding these matters in his presence before, save the occasional snide remark... Did she do so now simply to fit in - to play her part? It wasn't exactly easy to read her, but he wouldn't put it past the Slytherin girl to use her cunning in that manner. "And if we just… let them go, they might expose us. Let the Muggles know we exist, destroy our way of life… it would be war," she said, with the same casual tone of someone predicting the weather. William was eyeing her, hoping she'd give something away when their eyes met, but she seemed to be making a point of not looking his way.

"Well put," conceded her father Cyrus with a proud smile. A balding man with far too many lines etched on his face for his relatively young age. He had mostly remained quiet during the dinner so far. Daphne did not acknowledge his response, though others raised their glasses in agreement.

"It's quite obvious, Horace. We are fast approaching a crossroads, and the time has come for us all to choose a path," explained Lucius with his slow, bored voice. _Crossroads_? Did this have anything to do with his mother's cryptic invitation? Or her mysterious absences?

"_Path_? Lucius m'boy, what _path_ could possibly lead to the forced relocation of the Mugglebo-" the man they called both _Horace_ and _Professor_ stopped his question mid-word, seemingly catching on to Mr. Malfoy's meaning as his mouth fell open in horror. He recovered fast enough for most to not notice, though William did not fail to see the hint of fear behind his eyes remained.

"It might seem crude… maybe _wrong_, even," said Lucius. "But Azkaban might be the safest place for these… _disadvantaged_, as you called them, now that the times are about to change. And I believe it is in your best interest to walk the same path as us," Lucius nodded and raised his glass.

"And who exactly is leading you down this path?" asked William, surprising even himself, and by the looks of it everyone else at the table as well, by the force and tenacity with which he spoke. His heart was racing, and for the first time that day he truly felt like a lion trapped in a nest of snakes.

"It is not a question of _whom _it is that leads us, but of _what_," answered the Malfoy patriarch.

"Meaning?" asked William.

"Meaning, we are _united_," as Lucius spoke the word '_united'_, William felt Daphne tense up next to him, muttering something into her glass. "United behind common ideology, traditions… sets of ideals and values which _they _simply cannot comprehend."

"But you have been united by these ideals and values for a long time, haven't you? What's changed? Why are we approaching some bloody crossroads?" William questioned, looking from Mr. Malfoy to the other members around the table. What William was really wanting to say was of course something more akin to '_what has happened that has made you cowards so sure you'll win this time, even with your precious Dark Lord long dead?_'. A strange sense of dread radiated outwards from his gut when he saw the smile on Lucius's face at his question. Something bad _had _happened. Or was going to happen. "What's changed?" he repeated, with more than a touch of desperation and urgency.

"_Happened_?" Lucius responded, clearly feigning being affronted. "Nothing. Nothing at all," he smiled.

The smile triggered something within William. Something primal, something furious. A lion roared in his chest - wanting, needing, _lusting _for the blood of his enemies. He flew up from his seat, barely controlling himself and his magic as the wand in his tight grip vibrated intensely, itching to see some action, to cause harm and defend its wielder. Despite staring at Draco's despicable father, he could still somehow feel what everyone in the room was doing. He didn't know how it was possible - it was hardly in his peripheral - but he just _knew_ Edward had grabbed his own wand as well and was pointing it at him under the table. He was sure the same could be said for Cyrus Greengrass, the Carrow siblings, and a couple of other people around the table, but none wanted to cause a scene and as such remained seated. The old man called Horace was watching with trepidation, Draco seemed less bored than usual, while Daphne looked on with wide, frightened eyes.

It was with great effort that William had contained the anger that was quite literally clouding his thoughts and memories as he walked towards his room. He hardly remembered grunting asking permission to leave through gritted teeth, and receiving a slight nod from his mother in reluctant acceptance. He almost jumped in surprise when he reached his room and realised the house-elf Ivory had been escorting him. He thanked her before entering his room and closing the door behind him. The window was still open from earlier, but the winter cold that had sneaked in was plenty worth it considering how much fresher the air was. His eyes were wandering around the room and had landed on the old vinyl record player Hermione's father had gifted him. Mr. Granger had tried giving him a modern radio, but William had explained that it wouldn't have worked particularly well due to his house's overwhelming amount of magic in the air. With a flick of his wand, the vinyl needle scratched the spinning round record and produced the sound of a band William had been introduced to that summer. _Metalli-something_, they were called. They weren't too loud, and their melody was pleasant and kind of catchy. Having the vinyl player also hadn't hurt his proficiency at the Silencing Charm, as his mother had often sent house-elves when the music got too loud until William had mastered the spell quickly. And the music worked perfectly to fill the crushing silence of his often unwanted solitude. The chorus '_For Whom the Bell Tolls' _echoed around his room, as William tapped his feet and bobbed his head to the rhythm, feeling the calming effects of the music course through him.

It'd be several hours before the heavy drinks would be served, which meant a great many songs before he was requested to return. Mostly to distract himself, he fell into the chair at his desk and produced Professor Snape's essay on the Antidote for shyness, supposing it would be best if he at least attempted to write something coherent, lest he was dealt another detention at a bad time. Hermione hadn't sent him her essay, and help would hardly come from Draco, despite him annoyingly being more than decent at Potions. Daphne was even better, in spite of the fact that she and Snape absolutely loathed each other - she for all the detentions she'd received in the past (often for sticking up for William), and he for her friendship with William. At least that was William's guess as to why Snape hated her… Though she wouldn't help him with the essay either - she was stuck at the bloody dinner. If only his remaining homework had been in Defence Against the Dark Arts, or Charms, or Transfiguration, his best and favourite subject…

It seemed like at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half, had passed since he'd left dinner. He'd changed the vinyl record a few times, produced his hidden stash of Chromapuff Seven (a rather splendid bottled alcoholic beverage he'd stolen from his brother's cabinet - William had noticed that the liquid changed in colour depending on the mood of the room) to further calm his nerves, and had just noticed darkness descend outside his window. The bottle of Chromapuff was then a misty sort of grey colour, with hints of a darker blue shifting in occasionally as his thoughts momentarily strayed into more gloomy territories. His rumbling stomach had begun its complaining at his unfinished meal from earlier, but he'd at least written one and a half page for Snape, which was more than enough for him to submit the essay. He'd still be lucky to get a _Poor _for it, but that was a better prospect than detentions.

A sudden beat of approaching footsteps made him turn around, and before he knew it Daphne Greengrass had barged in uninvited (but not unwelcome) once more. She swiped the Chromapuff Seven bottle from his desk (which had suddenly turned to a much brighter white before darkening as she picked it up) and practically slammed her back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling and ignoring William's confused demeanour and "_come right in, why don't you_"-look.

"They're all _such _a bunch hypocrites!" said Daphne, her face all scrunched up in anger and frustration as she sat up and took a sip from the bottle. She failed at suppressing a cough but continued before William could even open his mouth to respond. "Every single one of them. They _disgust_ me. And what is that noise!?"

"Oi! Show some respect! That _noise _is _Metalli-something_, and they're bloody brilliant."

"Why in Merlin's beard would you have whiskey in a _jar_?" she asked, while William snatched the now silvery bottle back from her hand to take a swig for himself. It tickled his throat with a sweet, burning sensation as it went down, leaving a smoky aftertaste in its path.

"I dunno, actually… Must be a Muggle thing," he shrugged, handing her the bottle. "But don't get sidetracked by my excellent taste in music! What's got you all worked up? What happened?"

"Father and Mr. Malfoy _happened_. They were discussing a way to settle father's debt to him, and perhaps even gain some money back."

"How dare they? The monsters," he joked as Daphne handed the bottle back to him a bit more forcefully than necessary. The drink had turned almost pitch black now, reflecting her dark mood.

"Shut _up_! You don't know the half of it."

"Go on, then, spill."

"Father wants to sell them Astoria."

"_What_!?" William blurted out, getting a bit light-headed from how fast he had stood from his chair.

"He wants to broker a marriage between my sister Astoria and that git Draco Malfoy. He basically wants to trade her for Galleons. It's…"

"Vile!"

"Utterly."

"She's, what, Thirteen!?"

"Twelve, but they wouldn't be married _now_, obviously."

"Still!" he persisted while pacing on the spot and sipping from the bottle a couple of times to calm himself, barely having registered that the bottle had traded hands a few more times since his last taste.

"_Still_… and - well, they've been… there have been talks for some time about it. Debating how many Galleons, whether it would be Astoria or Olivia, and a heap of other clauses and... details. I suppose they've finally agreed just now."

"Merlin… I see it now," said William, getting a perplexed look from the girl sitting on his bed. "Why you're doing it. You know, despite not liking whatever it is that you are doing. For money, I mean."

"You do?" she bit her lip as she asked, and her eyes glistened in the dim light of his room. William smiled and nodded, a bit taken aback by how emotional she seemed. He wasn't exactly used to Daphne being a fountain of feelings, but she could hardly be blamed for her distressed state at the prospect of her sister being traded off like mere property… "You know, I suppose this _Metalli-something _isn't _that _bad. Who's the woman he's singing about? Molly?"

William had of course no idea who the Molly in the song was, but made up something ridiculously stupid about the girl just for a laugh. It seemed to work to cheer her up a bit, though the Chromapuff Seven could most likely claim the largest credit for that. It was now a brilliant gold, though twinkling with shades of scarlet red as it sloshed back and forth in the bottle whilst switching hands. Probably due to being a little drunk and weary and not how funny their jokes were, they both spent their next half hour or so sniggering and bad-mouthing the guests downstairs. Daphne relayed some gossip regarding '_alleged_'extramarital affairs and potentially ignorant spouses, while they both took it in turns to drink from the bottle and roaring with laughter at the idea of Crabbe and Goyle being the secret love-children of the rather portly old man apparently called '_Professor Slughorn_'. Daphne also told of a rumour that the very same Slughorn might return to the post of Potions Master at Hogwarts, another interesting tidbit William would include in his letter to Hermione.

Before either of them knew it their supply of Chromapuff had dried up and the vinyl record had slowly ebbed to them attempting and spectacularly failing to chorus the lyrics to a song neither of them knew the words to. Still no one - neither house-elf nor human, had come to fetch them. William didn't mind too much as they were lying on the bed in opposite directions staring at the ceiling (William's head by Daphne's feet and vice versa) with a bit of distance from each other and an empty bottle in between them to boot - both of them snorting and giggling quite as madly as the Carrow sister had done during dinner but not really remembering what they had found so funny. William was wondering then exactly how much of his time with Daphne he'd put in his next letter to Hermione, when the former girl suddenly spoke with an almost sobering voice.

"Hey," she said. William drunkenly mumbled some response. "Want to do something stupid?"

"Always," he answered without thinking. For a moment, he thought he was back in his Hogwarts dormitory, being rather easily convinced by Harry to go out on a night prowl when neither of them could sleep.

"Good. Let's sneak into that library the house-elves were guarding."

"_Er - _what?" he asked, slightly bewildered. It wasn't exactly what he expected her to propose.

"You know, the library!"

"We have a library?" asked William sarcastically, earning himself a loud eye-roll from Daphne.

"You should visit it sometime. Learn how to read, you know. Maybe fill your big head with something other than girls."

"I know how to bloody -" he hiccoughed, "read. I just prefer girls. _Girl_," He corrected, thinking of Ginny and struggling to keep a smile off his face at the mental image of the red-haired girl. Daphne made a gagging nose and mocked throwing up as she quickly seemed to understand who William was thinking of. "You're just jealous because I got her before you did."

"_Puh-lease_, I can do better than Weasley. Even Granger would be an improvement. At least she's got some brains," said Daphne.

"Oh I'm sure it's her _brains _you're interested in."

"I'm not interested in any part of her!"

"I'm _sure _you aren't."

"_If _I was interested, we'd already be going out!"

"As if you could land a bird like Hermione!"

"Could you imagine? _Hi mum, dad, this is my girlfriend Hermione Granger. She's a Mudblood and a Gryffindor, but she's clever and sweet and oh so nice to look at. Have you seen her bum? My word, it really is something, isn't it? You should watch her when she's walking away from you. Goodness me, I'm getting all giddy at the thought of it swaying back and forth. Oh, didn't I mention I like girls?_" she giggled while William barked with laughter. "I almost wish I _was_ dating Granger just to have that talk and see their reactions."

"So you fancy her for her bum, do you? What happened to '_she's got some brains_'?" William teased, wishing he had the energy to sit up and see if Daphne was blushing. He instead received a vicious slap on his shin. "Alright, alright! I concede, it's a nice bum. Back to the library heist, then! Why'd you want to go in there?"

"I dunno… Curiosity, I suppose. I mean there's bound to be something interesting there if they're watching it all the time."

"There is," he conceded. "I just don't know _what_."

"Then let's find out!"

"Don't be daft, Daff!" he said, chuckling stupidly at his wording. "Do you know how much trouble we'd get into if they caught us?" Daphne eyed him and raised a brow, clearly not believing in his fabricated worry at getting caught. "That easy to read, am I?" asked William.

"Like an open book. It's adorable, honestly. Come on, let's get a move on before they sober up."

"Maybe _we _ought to sober up first," William complained as Daphne stood and dragged him up by the hand.

"Ain't no rest for the wicked, Will. Let's _go_!"

"Fine!" he gave in, and they took unnecessarily careful steps out of the room. No one else was around, but they still spoke with lowered voices as if they were embarked on some serious and quite dangerous mission. "You know, I'm quite fond of this side of you. Awfully Gryffindor-y."

"Don't insult me," she hissed.

"It was a compliment!"

The road to the library wasn't particularly long, but it still took them a good ten minutes or so to reach it. Mostly due to them stopping at every corner they wanted to check around and every noise they imagined hearing - though what they heard was most likely reverberations from their whispers and steps as they staggered towards their destination. When they finally arrived, they found the two house-elves still standing there and, for some inexplicable reason, proudly safeguarding the somehow very important and secretive library that had been built and stocked by William's grandfather. They debated in heated whispers for some time on how they'd proceed, until Daphne reluctantly agreed to William's plan, admitting he had infinitely more experience with these kinds of hijinks and plots.

She'd quite quickly regretted her admittance of his allegedly superior knowledge in these matters. William peaked around the corner as Daphne spent some time slurring through several attempts at convincing the two house-elf guards that there were emergencies in various parts of the Manor and that their specific help was requested by the Mistress of the house. Several times she looked back for help from William, who himself was doing a spectacularly poor job of hiding, but she was only met by what he hoped were encouraging nods. He had heard her claim that there was a fire in the kitchen, a flooding in a bathroom, a break-in in a bedroom, and absurdest of all, a massive house-elf riot in the dining hall between the Garlant elves and the invited guests. The guards were having none of it, and it didn't take too long before the house-elf Ivory had come to fetch William and Daphne, who in their muddled minds took it as a sign that their plan had been compromised, and simply ran for it - giggling madly as they sprinted through the halls and crashed into every other wall before reaching what they hoped was an empty room. Panting heavily, they went into fits of laughter when their eyes met after Daphne had cast the Lumos charm. But the room they had entered wasn't completely empty of people - not really. Several portraits were stacked on top of each other, while others hung crookedly on the wall and some were leaning on shelves. Most of the people in the portraits were sleeping, though some had woken up by the sudden noise and shining light, and there was one face William hadn't seen for half a decade looking back at him from the top of one pile. An old man with William's own hazel eyes looking back at him, and he was smiling. William's heart drummed so loud he was sure it would burst out of his chest at any moment, and a big lump in his throat was preventing him from speaking - though he had no idea what he would say if he was still able to. A soft touch found his shoulder, briefly startling him before a warmth spread from Daphne's hand as it reminded him that he wasn't alone. The heat reached his very core, giving him the much-needed strength to speak with the portrait of his long-lost grandfather. He opened his mouth to speak, and then -

"OUT!" screamed Edward's voice from behind them. "BOTH OF YOU, OUT NOW!" he yelled, and he grabbed William by the neck and tossed him out onto the cold stone floor. A blinding flash of pain struck him in the back of the head, before everything he saw and knew melted into pure and utter nothingness.

* * *

**AN: Illustrated how Daphne and William were lying on the bed in case there was any confusion! ****imgurcom/X6AsA5q (just add a period after "imgur")**


	16. Chapter 16 - The Girlfriend

William's return to Hogwarts was, perhaps for the first time in his life, not entirely welcome. There was no doubt that he had missed his school, his friends, and even his classes. But he hadn't quite realised how much he needed a break from it all. The school-year had been eventful so far. Too eventful. What with everyone accusing his best friend Harry of lying and then proceeding to treat him like dirt, William's bewildering ups and downs with Hermione, the Yule Ball, the row with Ron, the Triwizard Tournament, his romantic involvement with Ginny… Not to mention his strange dreams and the mysterious actions of his family. So much had happened already, and he hadn't really had time to process anything, let alone have any deep thought as to where both his personal relationships and education were heading. And then there was the dinner at his house, with the oddly endearing Professor Slughorn and the strange comments from the Pureblood radicals, and his time with Daphne which had led to him being manhandled by his brother and knocked unconscious as his head hit the floor… He'd included most of what had happened in his letter to Hermione, though neglected to mention quite how close he and Daphne had become during the break. He asked Hermione for her thoughts on what Lucius Malfoy had meant regarding the supposedly approaching crossroads, about why Hogwarts would need a new Potions Master ('_don't get me wrong, if Snape's getting axed we're throwing the biggest bash the Common Room's ever seen_'), and told her he'd tried entering the room containing his grandfather's portrait several times but always found the door impossible to open.

And that was perhaps the foremost reason for his slightly hesitant return to the school. He wanted to keep trying. To find a way in. It was all he could think about while William, Harry, and Ron were standing by the fence in their Care of Magical Creatures lesson that day. Hermione and the rest of the girls were allowed to pet a Unicorn - their temporary teacher Professor Grubbly-Plank had explained that they preferred a woman's touch. Harry and Ron had been seething about something Malfoy had said, while William absentmindedly watched on as Daphne and Hermione listened to the (regrettably) rather impressive substitute for Hagrid. Hermione hadn't responded to his last letter due to William's imminent return. When they spoke in person, huddled around the Common Room hearth together with Harry and Ron, they all agreed that Lucius' behaviour had been very suspicious and that Harry would mention it in his next letter to Sirius. Harry would also ask Sirius what he knew about Horace Slughorn, a subject he himself had been most interested in ('_if Snape's got the can we'll drink the Broomsticks dry_', he had said, causing William and Hermione to smile at each other at the reminder of his wording to her in the letter). Neither of the boys seemed particularly inspired by the prospect of getting acquainted with Daphne Greengrass after hearing William claim that the two of them had become friends again. '_She's a Slytherin_!' they reminded him several times during the course of the conversation. Hermione was a bit more eager, even attempting to calm Ron after he appeared to grow more suspicious and more interested in exactly what had happened to make William and Daphne so close all of a sudden, eyeing him intently every time he mentioned her and asking prodding questions regarding the nature of their reconciliation. William had hardly forgotten about Ron's sister Ginny - but they had only had time to meet briefly after term start, and it had been in front of Ron…

"Will!" hissed Ron suddenly, snapping him back to the class in session. "You still with us, mate?"

"What? _Er - _yeah! What's happening?"

"Read!" said Harry, shoving an opened Daily Prophet into his hands. '_DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE'_ headlined the article. Published by Rita Skeeter, it revealed how Rubeus Hagrid was a half-giant on the side of his mother (William was actively suppressing his imagination's attempt to show exactly how that romantic encounter had happened), and that his classes had led to many injuries due to his careless and irresponsible teaching methods. It was filled to the brim with falsehoods and exaggerations, and it finally dawned on William as to why Hagrid was missing. William wasn't as close to the half-giant as Harry or Hermione were. He was probably more like Ron in that regard, seeing Hagrid as a good friend and a teacher, though not more than that. He'd also suspected that Hagrid was a half-giant for some time, but hadn't mentioned it as he felt it was something Hagrid might not have wanted to be revealed.

Lesson ended to the disappointment of almost all students present, and happy chatter filled the halls as they spilled back into the school. Harry rowed with Parvati due to her positive opinions on the new teacher, while Parvati herself bit back with far more venom than William had ever heard her have before. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that Harry had ended up snogging someone other than her - his date - on the Yule Ball, though she herself had been telling most anyone she ran into that she and the Beauxbaton boy she'd danced with would go on a date to Hogsmeade on the next weekend trip.

"That was a really good lesson," began Hermione as they approached the Great Hall. William saw Harry opening his mouth to argue, but before he could hear what he said, a tug on his robes pulled him back from the entrance and brought him outside the large doors to face Daphne. Ron's narrowed eyes met his briefly, with that same look he had every time he so much as breathed in Daphne Greengrass' general direction lately. He rolled his eyes in response before turning to Daphne, thinking of just the perfect thing to further annoy his red-haired friend.

"Oi, Greengrass!" he whooped, launching into a bear of a hug with a very surprised looking recipient.

"What in Salazar's name -"

"I've missed you, haven't I? Come sit with us, we won't bite," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the Gryffindor table. The shocked and slightly blushing Slytherin girl hesitated at first, before she picked up her pace and sat down next to William and Hermione, with Ron and Harry in seats opposite them. Practically all eyes in the Great Hall were on her. A Slytherin in the Gryffindor table was quite as unheard of as it was unthinkable. Ron looked on with raised brows and arms crossed, Harry's mouth was agape in surprise, while Hermione simply looked delighted. It took several seconds (though William knew it must have felt like hours to Daphne) before the Great Hall's occupants slowly began turning their heads back to each other and filled the room with rising chatter, though several more curious looks came their way every now and then.

"_Er - _hi?" said Daphne, before seeming to compose herself. "I'm Daphne -"

"We know," finished Harry of all people. "Will's told us all about you," he said, taking a sip of his Pumpkin Juice.

"I would hope not," she answered, finally looking comfortable enough for a small smile. "Though only a fool would trust what comes out of William's mouth," said Daphne. Hermione and Harry chuckled, though Ron didn't seem particularly impressed.

"Got a lot of experience with Will's mouth, do you?" asked Ron with a blatantly more casual tone than he would like to use. William was too taken aback to respond, while Harry choked on his sausage and got smacked on the back by whatever Gryffindor was seated on the other side of him. Hermione simply looked a bit awkward by the exchange.

"Oh, yes," said Daphne, not missing a beat. "Loads of experience, didn't you know? That make you jealous, Weasley? Perhaps you want William's lips all to yourself?"

"Daff! She's joking, mate! Honestly woman, are you trying to get me killed?"

"Well I think it's awfully good of Will, and you as well, to come here. It's about time we've had some inter-house friendships between Gryffindor and Slytherin," said Hermione reasonably.

"It's wrong!" claimed Ron. "We're natural enemies! We're not supposed to befriend _them_," he argued.

"Hush, you!" said Hermione harshly. "Ignore Ronald, he's awfully immature regarding these matters," she said, turning back to Daphne. William flung an arm around his bushy-haired friend and squeezed her around the shoulder.

"What was it you said, Daff? _'At least she's got some brains_'?" he elbowed Daphne, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. To his surprise, a clear redness crept up her neck and cheeks and she quickly looked down at her still empty plate.

"You said that?" asked Hermione with a large smile on her face, leaning across William to better see Daphne. Trust Hermione to still become absolutely overjoyed after getting what must have been the ten thousandth compliment on her intelligence.

"That's nothing. You should have heard what she said about your b-" _um_, William's last word disappeared into the hand Daphne had thrown in front of his mouth. Hermione and Harry laughed at the scene of William struggling to get the word out and Daphne shrieking variations of '_Stop it'_ and '_Shut up_' repeatedly.

Lunch passed rather uneventfully afterwards, though William was sure it seemed much more eventful to Daphne. Hermione and her had delved into discussions about various classes and had found that they both were avid readers and very keen on studying in general, nearly sending the three boys into deep slumbers while talking about the finer details of various literature and their latest homework. Harry had interrogated Daphne regarding Grubbly-Plank replacing Hagrid, and she seemed to have passed his test with flying colours - stating that she found the half-giant (she didn't say the word with any hint of malice) endearingly funny, and the substitute teacher far to stiff. Ron half-heartedly tried to include her in some talk of Quidditch, but quickly gave up when Daphne revealed she supported Puddlemere United, rather than his favourite team Chudley Cannons. All in all, it was a pleasant and somewhat successful introduction to their new friend. Ron was still not convinced, and displayed it in no uncertain terms when he pulled William aside after the five of them had exited the Hall.

"What're you playing at?" he spat, and looked over William's shoulder as Daphne, Harry, and Hermione walked on still talking amongst themselves.

"_Er - _what?"

"You know bloody well _what_! _Her_!"

"Oh, right."

"Well!? I might have allowed you to date my sister, but I won't sit by and -" said Ron, still holding William's arm and giving it a slight shake.

"_Allowed_!? I never needed your permission! And Daff is just a -"

"_Daff_!?"

"Daphne, then! She's a friend! She has been for a long while. And she's done a better job of it in stretches than you've done," said William. It was the wrong thing to say, apparently. Whatever shade of red Ron had been before, he was now positively scarlet in colour, and the grip he had on William's arm was beginning to hurt. "Let go of my arm, Ron."

Ron looked at his hand and quickly let go, even allowing himself to look a bit ashamed at his action and outburst. Maybe because he didn't want to face exclusion from his friends again, or maybe because he actually was trying to grow up a bit, he suddenly seemed to relax - seeming somewhat apologetic even. William took the opportunity to speak with a softer tone.

"Listen, mate, Daphne's just a friend. I'm not interested in her like that, and even if I was I wouldn't allow myself to hurt Ginny over it. Trust me, I like her too much and I respect her. And I _have _noticed how many protective brothers she has, you know," he added with a wink. Ron did seem a bit placated by that.

"Fine," said Ron with a smirk. "I'll _allow _you this one friend. But when she shows her true colours like I know she will - don't start with me, she's a _Slytherin_!" he hastily added when William opened his mouth to argue. "When she shows her true colours, I won't be so quick to forgive!" he finished, clapping William on the shoulder before turning around to catch up with Harry, Hermione, and Daphne.

That evening after dinner, Harry, Hermione, and Ron left the castle to try and persuade Hagrid to return to his teaching duties. William told them to send Hagrid his love and '_tell him to get his head out of his -'_ before Hermione slapped him on the arm. He wanted to stay in the castle and meet with Ginny, and she finally seemed to be done with the homework she apparently had neglected during the Christmas holidays. She sat around a table in the Common Room surrounded by friends, and no books or parchments were in sight.

"Will!" she shrieked as she saw him, jumping up and hugging him as if they hadn't seen each other in months. Her legs were around his waist (William had to place a hand on her bum and one on her back to keep her steady) and she planted several wet kisses all over his face as several giggles erupted by the table. The Common Room seemed quite hot, all of a sudden. "Where - the - bloody - hell - have you been?" she asked in between kisses, until she drew her head back to regard him with her piercing brown eyes. Maybe they _had _been apart for far too long, because William was noticing just how bloody gorgeous she was up close as if he hadn't really seen her before. Her invitingly wet and perfectly shaped lips, her pretty little button nose, her large and brilliantly amber eyes regarding him with so much affection and happiness, and all of her features near-enveloped by a beautifully freckled canvas… It was probably a good thing they were surrounded by students, or he'd have trouble not reciprocating her displays of affection on a whole other level.

"I missed you too, Gin," he said, laughing at her many smooches before he himself planted a quick and chaste peck on her lips. "Let's get away from this lot before they choke," said William, indicating towards her still sniggering friends. Ginny nodded fervently as she let go of her grip around William and they made their way to a table by a secluded corner.

"So, where _have _you been?" she repeated as they sat down. "I've hardly seen you since we came back. You tell those three friends of yours they don't actually own you. Not unless they pay me a handsome fee first."

"Oh, here and there. Those three friends of mine and I have had a lot to discuss. That's actually one thing I wanted to bring up with you."

"What is?"

"You know Daphne Greengrass, right?"

"Yeah, she was at our table at the Ball, wasn't she? Her sister Olivia is in my year. What about her?"

"Well, I don't know if you know this but we used to be quite close," he explained, hoping it sounded as innocent as he meant it. Ginny raised a brow, reminding him far too much of Ron. "I mean, as friends, of course. We, _er - _our families have known each other for years so she's been over at my place a fair few times. And we've spent probably years in detentions together," he said. Ginny remained quiet, though she strangely displayed the tiniest hint of a smile as she listened to William fumble over his words.

"You've been getting close to Daphne Greengrass again, have you?" she asked, crossing her arms and eyeing him in a scarily good impression of her brother Ron.

"It's not like _that_, Ginny! I mean, yes she was over during the holidays, but she _had _to -"

"Oh, I bet she did! Bet she _had _to get real close, as well?"

"N-no, nothing like that! Alright, she _was _in my room and we had some drinks and -" he was suddenly interrupted by her breaking into laughter. "_Are you actually serious_!?" he hissed, utterly gobsmacked that she had been messing with him this whole time. "That's _so _not funny!"

"Sorry!" she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Well, not really."

"You will be!"

"You should have seen the look on your face! Wait till I tell Fred and George, you'll never hear the end of it."

"_Ugh_. Just don't tell Ron. I'm already on thin ice with him for associating with a Slytherin…"

"Well, Ron is a git sometimes. Don't worry, I know about Daphne's, _er -_" she looked around the room to confirm that no one was eavesdropping. "_preferences_. I heard Olivia telling their little sister about it when she asked why she didn't have a '_boy for the Ball'_. So tell me more. What happened? Did you spill your guts out to her after she'd gotten you all lathered up? Tell her about how much you _looove _me and missed me dearly, did you?"

"You laugh now, Gin. We'll see who's laughing after the room clears. And actually, I _did_ mention you. She seemed more interested in Hermione, though. Should we set them up?"

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you?" she leaned over closer to him. "That frees up Harry, so you'll be free to swoop him up! I see through your devious plots, Garlant."

"Clearly," he said, rolling his eyes but not entirely able to suppress a smile. "I _was _being semi-serious, you know."

"Were you really? Well… I don't think Hermione likes girls, do you?"

"I..." he began, thinking back to when he and Hermione had shared a few intimate moments in what seemed like ages ago. Moments that thankfully everyone else were still thankfully and blissfully ignorant of. "No, maybe not. But it wouldn't hurt to try, would it? She might like both boys and girls without knowing it."

"I suppose," she shrugged. "No harm in it. Though… Haven't you noticed that she and Harry have been a bit… _closer_, since the holidays?" asked Ginny. William had in fact _not_ noticed. He had done his absolute best to ignore most feelings he had regarding Hermione ever since her first letter during the Christmas holidays, and perhaps that had made him blind to what was happening in front of him. But now that Ginny mentioned it, he didn't really feel anything resembling anger or jealousy at the thought of her being with Harry. He'd assumed the kiss they shared had been a one time thing - a happy drunken accident maybe - and had even given a little bit of thought as to how he would react if it ever led to more than that. Yet now… nothing. Did that mean he was over her? He didn't even know how long he had been _under _her! Was it all down to his efforts to suppress whatever he had felt about her? Or maybe it was his relationship with Ginny which had made him outgrow any romantic feelings? An image of Daphne Greengrass crept into his mind's eye, lingering for an unwelcome amount of time before he shook his head to bring him back into his conversation with Ginny.

"No, I haven't, actually."

"Boys…" she rolled her eyes. "Blind as bats, the lot of you."

"How did you know bats were blind? Never mind that, I have another question."

"Yeah?"

"I take it we're not bothering to hide… you know, _us_, any longer?"

"_Merlin_… Will, half the school knows. I'm fairly sure the only ones who remain ignorant is the half sharing certain traits with you - namely being blind and having a kno-"

"That's quite enough!" he jumped over the table and shoved his hand in front of her mouth, stifling the end of her sentence as she went into fits of giggles.

He should have known better than to try that with Ginny, though. It took only a few seconds before all of her facial features shifted from relaxed, happy and full of laughter, to a look of mischief and playfulness. She bit down hard on William's hand, shoved him down on the Common Room floor and launched herself on top of him, pinning his arms down. William struggled in keeping his barking laughter in check, and struggled even more to see that the Common Room was now nearly empty, save a few tiny first years who were staring at them from around the hearth.

"Clear off!" he yelled, and they swiftly panicked up the stairs to their dorms.

Before he knew it, Ginny's soft lips smashed into his, parting slightly as their tongues met. His hands were free again, as she had positioned her legs on either side of his waist now, giving him free rein up her skirt and blouse. Her thigh was warm and trembled as he delicately ran his fingers up along its side, reaching and firmly grabbing an ample amount of her supple bum. She flinched for a fraction of a second, gently biting his lip before she lightly swayed back and forth on top of him, only a tiny amount of cloth separating them as they moved in rhythm against each other. All thoughts except the girl on top of him had vanished. Her lips tasted so sweet, her tongue was so intoxicating, and every part of her he touched was so bloody warm and inviting… Not having the physical capacity to stop and consider what they were doing (they had never gone quite this far before, let alone in public view of the admittedly empty Common Room), William was instead urging his reluctant brain to focus on something - _anything -_ else in order to stop them before they were past the point of no return. Anyone could walk in on them at any time.

"Gin," he barely managed to get out between passionate kisses.

"I know," she whispered, but didn't stop grinding against him and snogging him nearly senseless. "Just… a bit more."

"_Gin_," he repeated, hating himself for it. Who knew it felt so bloody good just being that close to each other? He put a hand on her hip and guided her movement to match his own, before somehow miraculously finding the strength to hold her still. "Ginny, we have to stop."

She leaned her head back, eyes still closed and biting her swollen lips. He'd never seen her so red before - her freckles had nearly disappeared, as if melted into the rest of her now scarlet skin. She ran a hand through her wild hair before straining to get up with a satisfied smirk as their eyes finally met again. William got up as well, though felt very stiff as he did so, something Ginny seemed to notice as her grin grew wider at the sight.

"That was…" she said with a raspy voice.

"Yeah."

"I better go to my dorm. See you tomorrow?"

"_Er - _yeah."

"Goodnight!"

"Yeah," he cleared his throat. "Goodnight."

Ginny gave him a quick peck on his cheek before practically bouncing up the stairs. He might have stood there staring at the Common Room fire for hours, his mind reeling with what had just happened, how amazing it felt, and how bloody stupid he was for ending it. But in reality, only a few seconds had passed since Ginny left before the portrait of the Fat Lady had swung open to let Harry, Ron, and Hermione in - and he was suddenly quite glad that they'd stopped when they did.

"No luck," said Harry with a shrug.

"What?" said William.

"Hagrid, remember? He ignored us."

"Oh, right."

"What're you doing down here all alone?" asked Ron as he looked around the room. "Not been studying, have you? I swear Hermione, if you've rubbed off on Will -"

"Oh I hardly think I'm the one rubbing off on Will," croaked Hermione with an uncharacteristically smug look. Ron seemed a bit confused as he walked off, while Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Your hair's all messy, Will, and you're awfully red, did you know?"

"Well… It's warm! I must have fallen asleep on the sofa," he tried, casting a furtive look at Ron who was now hovering by the stairs to the dormitories, throwing them impatient glances.

"Mm, must have. Nice nap, was it?" she teased.

"Put a sock in it, Granger! Been snogging any friends lately?" he retorted, as Hermione's and Harry's eyes grew wide and they shook their blushing faces in unison. William continued with a lowered voice. "Hah! Still haven't told Ron, have you? Well, then I suggest you two keep your prying noses out of my business, or my tongue might just slip. Much like yours did at the Yule -"

"Alright! You win, Garlant. Now let's get to bed before Hermione Obliviates that particular memory from us," said Harry, pushing William and Hermione along as they very maturely stuck their tongues out at each other.

* * *

**AN: I sketched my version of Ginny! ****imgurcom/ijTTvwk (add a period after "imgur")**


	17. Chapter 17 - The Suspicion

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" sneered Harry at the woman who had just entered the Three Broomsticks and was approaching a table near the four of them. William, Hermione and Ron looked on as Rita Skeeter's eyes went wide behind her glasses as she spotted who had spoken. Beaming at the sight, she rushed over followed closely by her photographer. Several people were looking their way, something Hermione seemed had acknowledged as well as she shared an uncomfortable glance with William.

"Harry! How lovely! Why don't -"

"Coming through!" warned a voice behind her, and they all turned to see Daphne carrying two Butterbeers while not-so lightly bumping the quite unwelcome journalist out of the way and sitting down next to Hermione. A fair few drops of Butterbeer had spilled on Skeeter's ghastly banana-yellow robes as Daphne passed. "My deepest apologies! I'm so very clumsy… You must be here visiting your grandchildren in school and now I've gone and ruined your, _er - _lovely dress. Allow me to do the honours of drying them, Mrs..?"

"_Miss _Rita Skeeter!" she said, fuming slightly at the new arrival while angrily tapping a wand on her drenched robes. Harry shot a quick smile at Daphne, thanking her for the very deliberately rude introduction. Skeeter seemed to pick up on that - perhaps she wasn't as clueless as William would have hoped. "And who might you be? Harry's new girlfriend, perhaps? Already over your Yule Ball date then, Harry? Quite the ladies' man, isn't he?" she winked at the table in general. Hermione flew up from her seat so fast that the Butterbeer bottle in her hand showered Rita's robes with another spray of the beverage.

"You horrible - _vile _woman! You don't care, do you!? Anything for a story! First Hagrid, then Daphne and Har-"

"Sit down, silly girl!" said Rita. "I've seen how you look at him. As if he'd choose _you_," she said, looking Hermione up and down with disgust in her eyes. William was a second from doing something very stupid when Hermione grabbed Harry by the arm and stormed out, yelling to the rest after them to follow.

"Let's go! Come on, Will and Daff - Ron!"

Most occupants in the Broomsticks stared after them as they left, and Rita Skeeter's magical Quill was furiously scribbling down notes while Hermione was muttering under her breath.

"She'll be after you next, Hermione," claimed Ron worriedly.

"Let her try!" Hermione stated defiantly.

"Sorry for causing a scene," said Daphne, who had rushed next to Hermione and looped her arm and hers as they walked back up the snowy street. "If I'd known -"

"Oh it was hardly your fault. If you hadn't been there it'd been something else. As I said, anything for a story…"

"Still," said Daphne, being led by Hermione's determined steps back to the school grounds.

"Oi, Will," whispered Ron as he pulled William back from the three others. William had a feeling he knew what he was going to bring up, and he was hardly liking that prospect… "What d'you reckon Skeeter meant when she said she saw how Hermione's been looking at Harry?" he asked, confirming William's suspicions. "I mean, you don't think she fancies him, do you?"

"_Er -_" was all he managed. '_I'm not sure_' was the gentle answer. '_I believe she does_' the truthful. '_I don't think so_', the lie. "I…"

"'Cause I think Hermione would tell us, right? You know, I thought she fancied you there for a while. Sort of why I blew the lid off before…"

"Really?" said William, not at all surprised. He was profoundly certain that Hermione was the only one who hadn't noticed Ron's infatuation with her. "Kept that quiet."

"Yeah, well I didn't really know how to tell her, I suppose. Still don't… Where are we headed, anyway?"

"Hagrid's, I think."

They were. Hermione led them past the gates, through the grounds, all the way up to the little Hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The curtains were drawn, but Hagrid's massive dog Fang was barking madly at their arrival - especially after Hermione had started pounding on the front door, shouting and pleading for Hagrid to talk to them.

"… can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -" she stopped as the door opened, but they weren't met with the sight of a towering giant of a man. Instead, their headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood at the doorway, gently smiling down at them.

"Good afternoon," he said.

"Headmaster!" said Daphne suddenly, causing all eyes to turn to see her standing very tensely, eyes wide at the sight of Dumbledore. "I, _er _\- I have to go. See you later, Hermione! You too, boys," she said, before spinning around and walking off, leaving a very surprised group of people staring at the lone Slytherin girl as her pace quickened.

"Odd," said Dumbledore with a curious smile. "But I must admit my presence tends to have that effect on certain people. Now, I take it you four wanted to see Hagrid? Why don't you come in?"

"Thanks," said Harry, taking charge of the group as they entered the hut.

They spent a good hour or so at Hagrid's, finally managing to convince him to ignore Skeeter's article and return to his duties as teacher. Most credit went to Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore, of course. Harry even got a nice little speech from him on how he'd win, and for some reason looked quite embarrassed and guilty as he said answered Hagrid's question regarding the egg clue he'd won in the first task. William would have to talk to Harry about that. With only five weeks left until the second task, they'd have to figure it out soon unless they wanted to have a repeat of last time. There was no room to pretend to have solved the clue, wounded pride or not.

As the four of them were heading back to the castle with their arms linked, Ron suddenly froze on the spot, causing the three others to stumble by the chain reaction of his abrupt stop.

"What d'you do that for?" asked Harry once he had regained his footing and helped Hermione to her feet. A blush appear on Hermione's cheeks, clearly visible despite that darkness had descended on the grounds. William wasn't sure Harry had spotted that though, angrily staring at Ron as he was.

"The Map!" Ron blurted out. "Do you have the Map on you!?"

"What for?" asked a confused looking Harry.

"Greengrass! We have to see what she's up to! You said it Hermione! You said she was acting all weird after the Yule Ball," he pointed at Hermione, almost pleading for backup in his case.

"Still on about that, Ron?" asked William with a sigh. "Yes, she's a Slytherin. That doesn't automatically make her _evil_."

"Honestly Ronald, you'd find something to row about in an empty room," said Hermione. Ron's eyes widened, as if he'd thought of something pure genius. A light-bulb might as well have popped up over his head, something William had seen many times in the cartoons he'd watch at the Granger's house last summer.

"That's it! You and Harry said she's been disappearing. It fits! She's gone to the Room of Requirement and -"

"So what if she's gone in there? It's not against any rules, is it?" argued Hermione.

"But you said -"

"I know what we said, but that was before we knew her! She's a perfectly decent person, and she's a damn sight kinder than you are!"

"_Before we knew her_!? repeated Ron mockingly. "We've known her for all of five minutes! Who's to say she's not getting close to us just to spy on Harry?"

"I got the Map here," said Harry, though Hermione and Ron didn't seem to hear him over their bickering. William huddled next to him and cast a quick '_Lumos_' as Harry produced the parchment from his robes and muttered the secret phrase before tapping it with his wand.

"That's exactly what you said about Viktor, and _just _like Viktor she hasn't asked any one us _anything _about Harry!"

"How could I forget! Not allowed to bring up Vicky, am I? Well just because I was wrong about him doesn't mean I'm wrong about this! There's something up with her, I know it!"

"Oh, _please_, Ron. You have about as much perception as a bat -"

"Oi! We're trying to find Daphne here, do you mind?" said William, interjecting and breaking up their spat. "And how come every-bloody-one in this school except me knows that bats are blind?" he asked, not really expecting (and not getting) any response. Hermione and Ron cast angry looks at each other before reluctantly approaching the Map that William and Harry were holding so that it was as spread out as possible. The four of them searched every piece of dotted magical ink and spotted no sign of any Daphne Greengrass. Her sisters were in the Slytherin Common Room, as was most Slytherins in her year. Curfew was fast approaching, after all.

"Look!" said Hermione, pointing to a part of the Map William hadn't yet examined. "Bartemius Crouch! _Mr. Crouch_! And he's in Professor Moody's office again!"

"What!?" Harry pulled the Map closer to his eyes. "But… That can't - Bagman said just before we met Skeeter that Crouch was still off… Said he had no idea where he was!"

"Think it's got something to do with the Tournament?" asked William, struggling to see why Moody and Crouch would otherwise be spending so much time together. They hardly seemed like two blokes who'd get along particularly well.

"Bound to be," Harry shrugged.

"But why would he say he's ill if he's at Hogwarts? I can't make sense of it," Hermione sighed in frustration.

"I think you should bring it up with Dumbledore, Harry. I have a bad feeling about this," said William, with that recently all-too familiar sense of dread in his chest. Something about all of this strange Crouch-business did not sit right with his gut.

"Why's it got to be me?"

"Everyone knows you're his favourite," Ron grunted absentmindedly, as he was still closely examining the Map - most likely for any signs of Daphne.

"Professor Dumbledore trusts you, Harry!" continued Hermione. "He knows you wouldn't bring it up if you didn't think there was anything to it."

"Yeah, my level of trustworthiness is definitely at its peak at the moment," said Harry sarcastically. "Remind me, how many actually believe I didn't put my name in that stupid goblet?"

"Anyone with a brain cell to spare," she said, throwing a bitter glance at an oblivious Ron.

"Mate, how could he _not _listen to you? You haven't seen yourself when begging Hermione or me to copy off our homework, have you?" said William.

"I don't beg!"

"Eyes of a puppy, tell me I'm wrong Hermione? Can't say no to him," William nudged her, but she seemed determined to not look at Harry's emerald eyes at that moment, instead settling with nodding fervently a few times while staring at the ground.

"She's not anywhere!" Ron suddenly declared. "Bloody Greengrass! She's -"

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," said Harry, now looking back down at the Map.

"See! She's _got _to be in the Room, it's not _on_ the Map!" said Ron proudly. William had to hand it to him. It _was _annoyingly the most likely answer. But why would she go to the Room of Requirement? And why would she dash off as soon as she saw Dumbledore? Was she hiding something from him? If he'd have to guess, he'd say it had something to do with whatever it was she was doing to earn her family Galleons - to save Astoria from being forced off into marriage. And whatever it was might not have been legal, or at least not allowed within the Hogwarts grounds… But William wasn't going to blab out the secret she'd confided him with just because Ron had his suspicions. He'd take it to the grave, if he had to.

"Yeah, I reckon Ron's right," said William, much to the surprise of Harry and Hermione. Ron looked desperately relieved to receive some acknowledgement. "But that doesn't mean she's plotting something. She's probably just wanting to get away from the Slytherin Common Room. It _is_ filled with Slytherins, you know." Harry chuckled, and even Ron looked a bit placated for a second, before he opened his mouth to argue.

"Yes, but -"

"Oh for heaven's sake! Let it go, Ron. If it'll ease your troubled mind, I'll go to the Room and try to enter it. I'll ask her what she's doing and I'm sure she'll explain everything. Alright?" said Hermione as the four of them started walking again. Ron seemed even happier at that, probably pleased that his suspicion had led to something being done, at least.

Once they'd reached the third floor, Hermione bid the others farewell and made her way to the invisible entrance of the Room of Requirement, while William, Harry, and Ron kept marching up the Gryffindor Tower. Despite being absolutely exhausted by the day's events, William mustered some energy to confront Harry about his progress with the egg. He _had _to convince him to try harder, or at least let the others help. It wasn't as if they hadn't helped before, and both Krum and Delacour were sure to receive plenty of assistance from Karkaroff and Maxime respectively, so he could hardly feel bad about cheating…

"Say, Harry. How's the egg coming along?" William asked him as they approached the Fat Lady's portrait, letting Ron give her the password. "And don't give me that rubbish about you nearly figuring it out. I saw you at Hagrid's when he asked you. You looked like you had slept with the man's wife when you answered him."

"Fine!" said Harry, stepping through the opening with William and finding a sparsely populated Common Room. "I… sort of have no bloody clue as to what it means, yet. But I was going to take it into a bath like Cedric said as soon as I can! And don't tell Hermione, she'll have my head if she finds out," he pleaded. Ron's ears pricked up at that, and he turned around to face them both.

"Don't tell Hermione _what_?" he asked with narrowed eyes darting back and forth between William and Harry.

"Nothing," Harry lied.

"Come on! I can keep a secret!" said Ron. William rolled his eyes.

"It's the bloody egg, Ron. Harry hasn't solved it yet, and -"

"_What_!? But Hermione said - I thought you had that figured out weeks ago!" he said with a gleam in his eye that told William that Ron didn't want anything more than to spill the beans to their bushy-haired friend, but William trusted Ron not to.

"Yeah, well I've tried, alright! I'll try harder next week. Just… don't go all _Hermione _on me, please."

"I won't as long as you promise to let us help you with that egg if you can't solve it by next weekend!" insisted William. Ron nodded in agreement. Harry sighed, sat down on the carpet by the hearth, and stared into the fire. William and Ron took up seats on the sofa behind him.

"Reckon she'll be long?" asked Ron as he cast a glance towards the back of the Fat Lady's portrait. William shrugged. For some reason he couldn't quite understand, the thought of Hermione and Daphne alone in the Room of Requirement amused him. He'd love to see how Hermione would react if Daphne put the moves on her, though considering what he had seen regarding Hermione and Harry lately… he was more or less certain by now that Hermione fancied, or at least was at the beginning stages of fancying, Harry. Probably at the stage of denial. Remembering that Hermione had promised to show William the memory of her and Harry sitting in the Common Room and receiving a letter from William that caused them both great embarrassment, he made a mental note to bring it up the next time they were alone. All he had to do was tell her how he managed to sneak into the girls' dormitory. And speaking of turning into an animal…

"What do you two think about becoming Animagi?" he asked. Harry and Ron had been discussing something about Hermione and Daphne when William rejoined their conversation, but they both looked at him with curious eyes at the subject he brought up. "I've read up on it a lot lately, and even tried it a few times. But there's several steps you have to go through to be able to do it at will and make it stick as long as you'd like, and it seems like it would help if you're more than one person doing it."

"I'm in!" said Harry almost immediately. "I'd love it! My dad could do it. So could Sirius, and even the rat. How hard can it be?"

"Very hard, actually. It takes a _long _time. You have to brew a potion and find an untouched leaf in nature and keep it in your mouth for a month and do all sorts of mad stuff that'll take the better part of a year. And you have to start all over again if you get any little detail wrong. Supposing you haven't gotten it so wrong that you permanently turn into a monstrous halfbreed in-between the transformation, that is," said William with a casual shrug.

"Well that all sounds bloody lovely," said Ron. "But I'm in, I guess. Hope I'll turn into a lion, or something big and intimidating at least. Do you reckon I could turn into a dragon?"

"I know what I'll be," claimed Harry as William and Ron turned to him. "A stag, just like dad. And it _is_ my Patronus."

"Hmm, never thought about that. I guess I would be a dog then," said William, pleased with that knowledge. Sirius would like that. "How about you, Ron?"

"I, _er - _haven't actually done a… what's-it-called, _corporeal _Patronus. I thought I did once, some silvery vapour shot out of my wand and I thought I saw something with paws for a split second, but I think that was my imagination… Hey, it might have been a lion!" said Ron, looking hopefully up at them with big eyes. William chuckled softly and put his arm around his friend.

"You know what, you're already _my _lion, Ron," he said, leaning towards Ron mouth with exaggeratedly pouting lips.

"Eugh! _Whatareyoudoingareyoumadgetoffme_!" Ron yelled as he sprung up off the sofa, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like '_little git thinks he can snog whoever he wants_'as he stomped off to the dorm. Harry held his stomach as he laughed at their friend's embarrassment.

"Oh well, more room for me!" said William as he put his feet up on the sofa.

"You have a thing for redheads, don't you?" said Harry after he'd collected himself.

"It's the freckles. They're just so bloody adorable. Can't keep my hands off the lot of them Weasleys, honestly."

"I better warn Mrs. Weasley. _Mr_. Weasley as well, given recent developments."

"As if he could resist my charms."

"Speaking of Charms, would you mind letting me, _er _\- _read _your essay for Flitwick?" said Harry with a careful voice. William rolled his eyes and sighed at the sight of those pleading green eyes of his, but knew he couldn't resist the Boy-Who-Lived any more than Hermione could.

* * *

**AN: Two sketches today! One of the group sitting in the Three Broomsticks when Skeeter walks in, and one when William jokingly tries kissing Ron: ****imgurcom/a/PC6XIBO (add a period after 'imgur')**


	18. Chapter 18 - The Lies

"I'm bored," William complained to no one in particular. Hermione was seated to his right in the Charms class as the diminutive Professor Flitwick walked around inspecting the student's wandwork (and sometimes holding impromptu speeches to the entire room) as they worked on the Banishing Charm, while Harry and Ron had somehow ended up a few seats away. Ergo, William was bored. He had found the spell unusually easy to perform, managing it after a few tries, much to Hermione's obvious envy and annoyance. Charms wasn't his best subject, and though he often was rather quick at picking up the new spells, he didn't normally do so before Hermione in Professor Flitwick's class. She herself had of course succeeded not long after him, earning five points to Gryffindor for perfectly demonstrating it to a beaming Flitwick ('_Why didn't you show him?' _she had asked. '_And what, deprive this school of its biggest show-off?' _William had answered, getting a happy smack on the arm for his troubles). So he had instead spent the last twenty minutes sabotaging different student's efforts by hexing their targets before they could, daydreaming about Ginny's and his moment in the Common Room last week, absentmindedly prodding Hermione in the ribs with his wand before she shot him a furious glare, and now simply doing his best not to fall asleep and earn himself another detention.

"Pay attention! You might learn something," hissed Hermione, nodding towards Flitwick. He was currently by Neville's side but spoke to his whole class, reminding them of the exact pronunciation.

"But I already _know _how to do the bloody spell… And so do _you_!" William whispered to her.

"Yes, well… It's the principle of the thing!"

"You can't be serious… _Principle_…" he sighed. "Tell me what happened with you and Daphne in the Room last week," he perked up, trying the question for the umpteenth time since Hermione and Daphne had their private conversation in the Room of Requirement. Both he and Ron had been badgering her endlessly about it, but had been met with the same answers over and over - _'None of your business_', '_Wouldn't you like to know_', and '_Why don't you ask Daphne_'. Daphne had of course been just as tight-lipped as her Gryffindor counterpart the few times William had managed to cross paths with her… William wanted to know mostly due to his unhealthy curiosity regarding Hermione's and Daphne's possible romance - if nothing was going to happen between Harry and her, then she should at least get together with Daphne. For his amusement, if nothing else! Ron, on the other hand, wanted to satisfy his obsessive paranoia concerning everything Daphne Greengrass. Still convinced she was hiding something (he _was _right about that part), he constantly sought out to prove her sinister intentions, but had no luck so far.

"For the _last _time," she snarled between gritted teeth. "What happened between me and Daphne in the Room of Requirement is between_ me _and_ Daphne _andthe_ Room of Requirement_!" she finished and turned her attention back to Professor Flitwick.

"Since when do we have secrets from each other?" complained William, hoping he'd struck some sort of friendship-nerve that would urge her to open up to him. Hermione expression _did _betray that she was considering it, but she quickly steeled herself before answering.

"Need I remind you that you still haven't told me how you sneaked into our dormitory? Or does that little secret not count?"

"That's what this is about? Because I'll tell you if you just -"

"No! I just don't would prefer it if you respected _some _boundaries, even if they aren't magically enforced to keep you at bay."

"Fine!" he huffed. "Fine. You've made your point. Let's switch wands, see if the spell still works!" suggested William, finally thinking of something actually worthwhile doing. Hermione looked unsure, so William did his best impression of Harry's puppy eyes asking for help with his homework. When that didn't work (only Harry's eyes sufficed, apparently), he resorted to begging. "Come ooon, Hermione. You'd say yes if my name was Harry Potter! I know you would. I bet you'd love to hold his _wand_ -"

"Oh alright!" she snapped. "As long as it gets you to shut up."

"Knew that would work. Here, gimme gimme gimme," he took her wand and gave up his own. Hers was much more… _less_, than his. He could tell almost immediately that he wouldn't be able to persuade the wand to do what he wanted it to. It felt _wrong_, as if he was wearing another person's arm. Looking up at Hermione, he found her having much more fun with his wand. She was wearing a broad smile as she waved it around, banishing pillows and feathers in every direction as easily as anyone. A strange sense of betrayal settled in William's core at the sight of his wand working so well for someone else. _Treacherous prick_.

"I love your wand!" she said, and she was far too distracted with trying it out to notice several sniggering people were looking their way at her pronouncement. "It feels fantastic! I mean, I like my own more, of course. But yours… it's different. It does almost exactly what I want it to do."

"Yeah, bet it does," muttered William. "Stupid little twig." Hermione laughed without looking at him.

"I can't believe you're actually jealous because your wand likes me."

"Well, it doesn't help that _your _wand is determined to hate me."

"But you haven't even tried it yet!"

"I can tell! I have a very good intuition, you know."

"Really?" she eyed him with raised brows and leaned in close. "And it's this intuition of yours that told you I like Harry, is it?" she whispered. William was leaning back to get a better look at her currently reddening cheeks. "Because it's not very good then, is it?" she claimed.

"You're right, it's been dodgy for a while now, the ol' intuition. I mean, I guess I _could _interpret your blushing cheeks as if you're lying and you _do _fancy him. _Or_," William cast a feigned paranoid look around the room before leaning in closer and continuing. "maybe you're just nervous because we're very close at the moment. Maybe it reminds you of a certain something in a certain broom cupboard -"

"I hope you two are discussing purely academic topics, Mr. Garlant and Miss Granger?" squeaked Professor Flitwick as he approached them. William and Hermione instantly parted and faced him.

"Of - of course, Professor!" said a slightly flustering Hermione. She was hopelessly inexperienced with being admonished by teachers.

"Good! Something you'd like to share then, Miss Granger?"

"_Er _\- well, you see -"

"We were just trying out each other's wands, Professor. Wandlore has always been of great interest to us. It's a fascinating subject, much like Charms, I've found," lied William, hoping that it would placate their teacher.

"Hmm… well I do happen to agree with you on that, Mr. Garlant," Flitwick nodded, a bit more reluctantly than William would have liked. Nevertheless, he felt Hermione breathe a sigh of relief next to him. "And what conclusion have the two of you arrived at?"

"Hermione's wand is a wee stubborn thing, while mine sold me out in five seconds flat. Bit like the family dog preferring the neighbours, really," said William, causing a few chuckles to spread around the class and a joyful chortle from the Professor himself. "A betrayal of the deepest kind."

"Yes, quite the intellectual verdict. Carry on, then," said Flitwick happily, turning around and continuing with his inspections.

"I can't believe you said that!" Hermione confronted him after they'd exited the classroom. "You could have gotten detention!"

"The horror…"

"_Wandlore_… Honestly, teasing the Professor! Only you could get away with it, Garlant!"

"If you didn't notice, _Granger_, it worked flawlessly. Better than that stutter of yours. And I got him off your back, didn't I?" he defended himself as they walked towards the Great Hall. Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't fully suppress a smile. "And don't think I've forgotten about what we were _actually _discussing when Flitwick rudely interrupted."

"_Professor _Flitwick! And I _was _hoping you'd forgotten because there's nothing to discuss!"

"Oh, really? So you were just blushing like a schoolgirl for, what, no reason at all?"

"For your information, I _am _a schoolgirl and I was blushing because it was unusually toasty in the classroom," she claimed, holding her chin high with her nose in the air.

"_Toasty_? You're actually going with _'it was _bloody_ toasty_'?"

"I'm not _going _with anything! It's the truth!"

"Right, and my mum kissed a Mudblood last week," he said, rolling his eyes. For some reason, an foggy image of Daphne popped up in his mind, but it went away as fast as it had appeared, melting away as his vision focused back on Hermione.

"Don't use that word!"

"Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not!" she insisted, but William merely sighed and let his shoulders slump, completely exhausted and dejected from the effort. "What's it to you if I _am _interested in Harry, anyway?" she asked, without looking at William. A burst of energy shocked him fresh again. _Something to work with_!

"Nothing! Honestly," he added after Hermione had looked at him incredulously. "I'm just curious, is all. And I have to admit you'd make a bloody adorable couple," he said. Hermione was once again focusing overly intently on the end of the hallway. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"I wouldn't know!" she said. "I've never considered being in a relationship with -"

"What the bloody hell was that back there?" came Ron's voice from behind them. He and Harry had caught up with them, an impressive feat given how quick Hermione was to rush out of the classroom after they'd been dismissed for the day. "I've never seen Flitwick grill Hermione before. He's practically in love with her!"

"Loads of that going around," muttered William. Hermione shot him a deadly look, which grew even deadlier as he stuck his tongue out at her.

It was several hours and a double Transfiguration class with Ravenclaw later when the four of them had finally found some time to relax in the Gryffindor Common Room. Well, Ron didn't seem like he doing any relaxing at all - he was currently seething at the way William and Ginny were very deliberately exaggerating their corny lovey-dovey ways on the sofa not a few feet away from him. Hermione was unnecessarily reading up on the Banishing Charm as she claimed she might have missed something due to '_William somehow convinced me to dawdle in class_', so she might not have been relaxing that much either. And Harry _did _seem a bit on edge - he kept throwing glances at his watch and the back of the Fat Lady's portrait as if he was waiting on something.

At least William had been getting some much needed relaxation, though Ron had unsubtly urged him to maybe consider working on the Transfiguration homework. Harry had laughed at that, claiming that William was top of the year in Transfiguration and hardly needed to work on the Vanishing Spell as he'd mastered it after mere minutes. But to Ron's great relief, William's night with Ginny would be cut short when a few of her friends stole her away from him, saying they had some urgent matters to discuss with her in their dorm. After bidding William goodnight in a quite passionate manner (Ron coughed loudly many times during the drawn out kiss), William was left vacantly staring around the room just as bored as he had been during the Charms lesson earlier.

"Well, that's me off," said Harry suddenly. He got up to the inquisitive looks from his friends and headed out of the Common Room with determined steps.

"Where are you headed?" asked Ron.

"To work on the egg. Yes, Hermione, I haven't solved it _entirely_, but I'm very close. I'll fill you in tomorrow, alright?" he explained when Hermione opened her mouth in apparent shock at the revelation that he hadn't yet finished the clue. "Don't worry, I've got the Cloak and the Map. What could go wrong?" and with that, he was gone.

"Well that was odd," said Ron with a yawn. "I'm going to bed. I'm counting on _you_," he pointed to Hermione, who looked up at him with surprise. "To keep an eye on Will and Ginny if she comes down again. Goodnight!"

"As if I could stop him," Hermione muttered pointedly loud when Ron was well out of earshot.

"What was that?" asked William.

"Nothing," she answered flatly, keeping her eyes on the book in front of her, though they weren't moving so she was hardly reading. William chose not to press her, deciding he'd already done enough of that lately. It was with some surprise then that Hermione turned to him instead, just as was dozing off on the sofa, the crackling sound from the hearth calming his nervous state. He'd always get a bit tense when Harry went prowling the castle by himself. "If I were to…" she began nervously, each word hesitating from her lips as she looked up at William with an uncertain look. "Let's say that I sort of, _maybe_, had feelings for someone, how would I go about telling them?"

"Oh, _er _\- well, that depends. Is this a _someone _who fancies you back?" he asked. For all the time he'd spent watching the two of them these last few weeks, he couldn't quite tell if Harry liked her _that _way yet. Hermione bit her lip.

"I think so. Yes," she nodded.

"So he's told you?"

"Not exactly…" Hermione said, shifting a bit in her seat.

"What do you -" William stopped as the Fat Lady's portrait swung open, surprising them both. They hadn't expected Harry to be back quite so soon. Cursing his rotten luck - he was finally getting somewhere with Hermione - he instead reluctantly turned his attention to their friend's return. But it wasn't Harry who had entered. Instead appeared a tall man with a flowing white beard, half-moon spectacles, and a long and crooked nose. He was smiling, but it didn't seem entirely genuine. The scene was odd - he'd never before seen Dumbledore in the Common Room. It almost felt as if he was intruding on something private, before realising that the Headmaster if anyone had every right to be there.

"Dumbledore!?" Hermione gasped, as if wanting confirmation that the Headmaster standing in the Common Room doorway wasn't an illusion.

"_Professor _Dumbledore," William corrected, feeling a bit smug. Hermione looked as if she would have smacked his arm (a favourite pastime of hers lately) if they'd been closer. Dumbledore looked around the room before nodding, apparently pleased that they were alone.

"Forgive my rather late intrusion. I must confess I was waiting for some privacy before coming." William and Hermione shared confused looks before turning back to their headmaster. "Miss Granger, would you mind terribly if I were to borrow Mr. Garlant? I do believe he is in my favour regarding late night visits. And there are pressing matters to discuss that simply cannot wait. Though, now that I'm here…" his voice drifted off and his eyes scanned the room again, as if wanting to take in all the details one last time.

"_Er - _of course, sir. By all means," Hermione answered, still looking quite puzzled. William himself had hardly registered his question.

"Excellent! Shall we?" Dumbledore indicated towards the exit, but William made no movement to get up before Hermione had coughed rather loudly. With a shake of his head, William was finally caught up to speed and stood to follow Dumbledore. He felt Hermione's inquisitive gaze on himas they exited.

The portrait closed softly behind them, but before they could walk on, the Fat Lady - apparently deciding she had had it with late night comings and goings - wanted to appeal her case for a permanently closed entrance after curfew's start. Dumbledore had to convince her otherwise, but she refused to budge until he'd gently suggested that he could find someone else to guard the Gryffindor Common Room if she wasn't up for it. She wasn't happy about it ('… _but don't expect me to be up when you send him back, Headmaster!' _she'd said. '_It's your one job!_' countered William), but she accepted the finality of the headmaster's words and soon after, William and Dumbledore continued their late night stroll.

They didn't seem to be heading anywhere in particular. Dumbledore had led them through a few shortcuts (some of them even William didn't know about, which was saying a lot), past hallways, down and up stairs, and even through a door on the second floor William had never seen before. They did this in utter silence - William was too focused on where they were walking to say anything, trying to remember every route in case he ever needed to use one of them. It wasn't until they somehow found themselves walking up the Astronomy Tower that William's burning curiosity forced him to speak.

"Professor?"

"Mm?"

"Where are we going? And, _er - _why?"

"I should have thought you would recognise the Astronomy Tower by now, William," he answered jovially, knowing full well that wasn't what William had meant. They were close to the top now, and William's already exhausted body ached for sleep as they ascended the spiral staircase. Dumbledore seemed as spry as ever. "As to the _why_… I believe you are aware that Harry brought forth a concern regarding Mr. Crouch?"

"Yes," he answered, remembering back to how he and Hermione had urged him to do so. "He'd noticed that Mr. Crouch was in the castle on occasions when several people had said they had no idea where he was," explained William, opting to shift the narrative as to who it was that had noticed the strange discrepancy. Dumbledore turned to him and peered at him intently over his glasses, as if examining the truth of William's words through his eyes. William's mind suddenly went completely blank, as if all thoughts vanished momentarily behind sky-high walls through no work of his own.

"Hmm… Well, I dare say that Harry's suspicion may have some… unexpected repercussions."

"Such as?"

"I cannot yet say - they are unexpected, after all - but I imagine a lot of feather's will be rustled."

"I'm not sure I'm following, Professor," said William as the two of them reached and went through the door that lead to the crenellated ramparts at the top of the Tower. The mesmerising sky dotted with an immeasurable amount of stars hung above them like a canvas, and for a long while they both stood there in silence, admiring the scene with captivated eyes that twinkled in the starlight.

"Did you know, this was your grandfather's favourite spot in the castle," said Dumbledore suddenly, still staring up at the sky. William's heart jumped as the revelation sank in. He hadn't known that. There was a lot he didn't know about his grandfather. A lot he wanted to ask him. And maybe someday he could. Maybe someday when his mother and brother were gone, when he could visit the portrait without being chucked out like a stray dog. He chuckled softly at the thought. In some ways, he _was _stray dog. "I thought not," Dumbledore continued. "Bill never spoke much of his youth after it had left him. You remind me a lot of him, William."

"Professor," William said without really thinking. His heartbeat had doubled by the headmaster's words. "Are we here to talk about my grandfather?" he asked. He didn't much mind the subject. In fact, he wanted to hear _more _about it. But something told him this wasn't why Dumbledore had brought him up there. The headmaster simply smiled at the question, perhaps realising he'd been sidetracked.

"No, I'm afraid not. As much as I think we would both like to. Though, I must ask you one question regarding your grandfather before I continue in my rather supremely faltering explanation."

"_Er _\- yes, go ahead, sir."

"Thank you," he subtly bowed his head. "Did your grandfather ever tell you about his chess-theory?"

"His… _what_?"

"Another suspicion confirmed," he declared brightly, before continuing in a somber voice. "During his last days on this earth, your grandfather and I had, regrettably, several disagreements. Most of these were centred on his insistence that I treat the people around me as if they were pawns on life's great chessboard. Naturally, I refuted this. I care for those I consider friends, for innocents, for everyone, I claimed. I could not care for anyone, he claimed. I maintained that his judgement was incorrect throughout many years, and a part of me still does. But an even larger part of me, one that grows for each day, now sees the truth of his words. I do not know _why_ it has taken me so long to realise this, but I _do _know why it has happened _now_. Harry Potter."

"Harry?"

"Yes. Harry. I have made on terrible mistake after another when it comes to him. Mistakes that have compounded to the point of no return. The Dursley's, the Stone, Pettigrew, and more. Much more… And now, the Tournament. It is because of these mistakes, my actions, with regards to an infant I held and whose wellbeing I was responsible for, that I now truly feel how right your grandfather was. I was isolated. I saw everything through the cold lens of pragmatism… _The greater good_, as I once would have said. I realise this must all be confusing," William nodded, his wide and raptly focused eyes staring intently into Dumbledore's. "Which is why I brought up your grandfather's theory. Imagine, if you will, that he was correct. Imagine a chessboard. On one side, me, and on the other, Lord Voldemort." William swallowed and a cold shudder which had nothing to do with the winter air ran through him. "Voldemort cares only for his victory - only for his own personal safety. As such, when he makes a move, it is with the utmost disregard for lives on either side. I, on the other hand, must also consider the pieces."

"These pieces… They are Harry, and Hermione - and Ron and -"

"Yes. And you. Do you recall the unexpected repercussions I mentioned?"

"_Er _\- yeah."

"Those would be the aftermath of my response to Voldemort's move. Because we have, for the first time in an all too short while, seen Voldemort _make_ a move."

"_Voldemort… move_…" repeated William, trying to make sense of the headmaster's words. "What move?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you the whole story yet, but suffice to say, Harry's revelation of Bartemius Crouch's presence at Hogwarts is part of it. And rest assured, it will be dealt with. You need no longer concern yourself with that particular matter."

"Then… why are you telling _me_ this?"

"Ah, the directness of the young Gryffindor… William, I need your help."

"My help?"

"Indeed. I have come to believe that your family is deeply involved in these matters. To such an extent that I cannot guarantee their safety nor their freedom should Lord Voldemort feel they have failed him. Your family -"

"Professor, they might be related to me by blood, but they aren't my family. They never have been. My only family is gone. He died five years ago. If my mother and brother are in any way working with the people who want to hurt my friends, then I'll do anything and everything to undermine them." The way Lucius Malfoy sneered the word '_Muggleborn' _reverberated in his head, sending a shiver along William's spine. "Anything and everything." Dumbledore nodded understandingly.

"Good. Very good. I know your relationship has been somewhat strained," _understatement of the century_, "so I have some understanding if this task will prove difficult. But, I have the fullest confidence in you to do the right thing."

"_Er - _which is?"

"Get close to them. Learn what you can. Specifically, find out if they have any informants or anyone in the castle, and if so, _who_."

"In Hogwarts!?"

"It is a possibility we cannot rule out. I would have done the same. Of course, it wouldn't be easy for them to do so, but not impossible."

"Do you… is there any suspect? Anyone or anything I should look for in particular?"

"I have some ideas, yes… But I would rather not bias your mind. It is better, I believe, that you go looking with an empty slate."

"Alright… I will do my best, sir. But, sir, I won't have any opportunity to meet my family until summer. How am I supposed to get close to them in time?"

"I will give you leave to return home any weekend you deem necessary. Your peers will understand the need as a family emergency, which it by definition will be, and your teacher's won't question it."

"I'll do it. Of course I will. Anything and everything," William answered, standing straight with his chin held high.

"Excellent. Now," Dumbledore dug his hand into what looked to be an unnaturally deep pocket and managed to pull out a watch after much digging around. "I believe it is time we part. I suggest you take a route through the fifth floor."

William did as he was told, moving much like a piece on a chessboard following orders blindly. But he trusted Dumbledore. Trusted his judgement. So when he found himself in the hallway of the fifth floor and bumped into an invisible body who turned out to be Harry, who came stumbling out of the Prefect's Bathroom, his confidence in Dumbledore's orders deepened, as did his awe for Dumbledore's apparent all-knowingness. After exchanging the usual pleasantries (_'What the hell are you doing here_' and _'Get under the cloak, you idiot_' and '_We can't both fit_'), they began making their way back to the Common Room with Harry under the cloak and William holding the Map to check for any movement. He often had to remind himself to pay attention - his mind still reeling with thoughts from his meeting with Dumbledore. He had missed two dots in an otherwise empty classroom to their right, so when they accidentally bumped into a seventh year Slytherin boy and a sixth year Ravenclaw girl bursting out from said classroom, the two pairs looked at each other and wordlessly came to the agreement '_We won't tell if you won't_', and went their separate ways.

It wasn't until they'd reached the foot of the stairs leading to Gryffindor Tower that William froze in his steps, staring at the only dot he saw moving besides his and Harry's. _Bartemius Crouch_. In Snape's office.

"What is it?" the disembodied voice of Harry made William jump.

"Oh, _er _\- nothing. Just checking the road ahead."

"… _and_!?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are we stopping!? Honestly, Will… And by the way, where _were_ you tonight?"

"With Dumbledore, actually. He wanted to talk. About the whole Crouch thing, you know. Said he'll look into it."

"_Er - _yeah, he said so when I went to him. I told you, remember?"

"Right… And how'd you do with the egg?" asked William, hoping to change the subject before Harry pried further into the night's events.

"Well, I know what the Task is, but I don't know how to go about it. It's got something to do with the Merpeople in the lake. I think they're going to steal something - something I'll sorely miss, and I'll have an hour to retrieve it. There was a riddle - you could only hear it if you held the egg under water," Harry explained when he saw what must have been a very confused look on William's face.

"Wow. I'm impressed."

"I'd wait until I learn how to breathe underwater before -"

"Garlant!" a furious voice bellowed from behind the two of them, and its black-robed, greasy-haired originator came striding up to them. _Snape_. _Great_. Possibly the last person he wanted to see at that moment. "Who were you talking to!?" he snarled.

"Myself. I must have been sleep-talking. And sleepwalking, I suppose."

"A likely story. Ten points from Gryffindor for an outright lie. And I believe detention is in order for breaking curfew. Saturday night, my office."

"Great," William rolled his eyes.

"Another ten points. _And_," Snape closed the distance between them, narrowing his eyes and piercing William's with his gaze. "If I find out you've been stealing from my office again, you'll find yourself on the train to London. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes."

"Yes, _Sir_."

"Right. If that's all? Sir?"

"For now." Snape turned and walked away the same direction he had come from.

"What was all that about?" Harry whispered. "You've been stealing from Snape?"

"I've no idea… Come on, let's get back before we get more detentions. Thanks for leaving me out to dry, by the way. Real friend, you are."

"Anytime," said Harry, and William could hear him sniggering under that damned Invisibility Cloak of his.


End file.
